When voting turnout becomes contentious repertoire: how anti-ELAB protest overtook the District Council election in Hong Kong 2019

Abstract

Under what conditions can voting turnout be transformed into a contentious repertoire? Based on the two case studies of the Umbrella Movement and the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill movement in Hong Kong, I compare how movement actors used the electoral arena to leverage their causes. I propose a new relationship between street and electoral politics – short-term mobilization that turns voting turnout into a contentious repertoire. I posit three necessary scope conditions for movements to perceive this electoral strategy as viable: (1) protest cycle precedes and/or overlaps with the electoral period, (2) election perceived to be competitive, and (3) closing of political opportunity window for street mobilization. I further argue that the tactics movements pursue in the electoral arena is conditional on the relationship between movement actors and political elites, and regime type. In democratic regimes where parties and elections are institutionalized and less volatile, movements are on a more solid ground to invest in a long-term electoral strategy with existing parties. Contrarily, electoral competition in authoritarian regimes tends to skew toward incumbent's advantage. Movement activists and political elites may seek short-term strategic mobilizations focusing on the election at hand rather than a long-term plan. This argument illuminates the common ground between collective action and voting, and thus bridging the two sets of literature for further engagement, as recent movements such as the Black Lives Matter and the Sunrise Movement in the United States and Navalny's anti-Putin movement in Russia are mobilizing their supporters to take on the electoral arena.

The Intervention of the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement in the Norms of Citizenship in Hong Kong

“…The election of the District Council, which was held in the middle of the Anti-ELAB Movement, obtained a record-high turnout rate (71%), 2 and pro-movement candidates won 77% of the seats (Lam et al, 2019). In the context of the movement, some supporters saw the election as one of the repertoires of contention (Shum, 2021). Electorates from the districts in which more protest activities took place were also found to be more active in voting (Lee, 2021).…”

Transnational Activism During Movement Abeyance: Examining the International Frontline of Hong Kong’s 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill Movement

“…The 2019 Anti-ELAB Movement stood out as it ushered innovative repertoires and organizational strategies that expanded the scope and impact of the movement. As Shum (2021) notes, participation in the Anti-ELAB Movement was diverse and pluralistic, as it successfully included the general public and third party to join their cause by expanding protest repertoires such as participating in the “yellow economic circle,” providing financial, medical, and material support for the protesters, and advocating for the cause on social media platforms. This is a stark contrast to the Umbrella Movement which focused heavily on frontline protesters while downplaying the other supportive roles in the movement.…”

Securitisation or Autocratisation? Hong Kong’s Rule of Law under the Shadow of China’s Authoritarian Governance

“…In early 2019, the local government proposed an amendment to the existing extradition law, which would allow Hong Kong citizens to be sent to the mainland for criminal trial upon the CE’s approval. The proposal caused massive resistance from the public, eventually leading to the citywide protests that lasted for 6 months and a landslide victory of the opposition camp in local elections (Lai and Sing, 2020; Shum, 2021). The sustained protests received massive attention from foreign media and encouraged the US Congress to pass a sanction bill against government officials of Hong Kong.…”