Information Technology (constituency)
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox constituency
|type= functional
|name= Information Technology
{{nobold|資訊科技界}}
|year= 1998
|abolished= 2021
|parl_name= Legislative Council of Hong Kong
|member=
|image=
|image_size=
|caption=
|region_label= Country
|region= {{HKG}}
|map1=
|map2=
|map3=
|elects_howmany=One
|electorate= 13,000 (2020){{cite web|url=https://www.voterregistration.gov.hk/eng/statistic20203.html|title=Voter Registration Statistics : Functional Constituency|work=Voter Registration}}
|previous=
|next= Technology and Innovation
}}
The Information Technology functional constituency ({{zh|t=資訊科技界功能界別}}) was a functional constituency in the elections for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong until it was replaced by Technology and Innovation functional constituency with a much narrower electorate in the 2021 electoral overhaul.
Since its creation in 1998, it has been normally held by the pro-democracy camp, with the interruption from 2008 to 2012, where the seat was held by pro-Beijing Samson Tam who defeated pro-democracy candidate Charles Mok by 35 votes with the help of the Internet Professional Association (iProA), a pro-Beijing IT association. In 2012, Mok retook the seat for the pro-democrats from the pro-Beijing camp by defeating Tam. Mok resigned effective 1 December 2020 as part of the 2020 LegCo mass resignations in protest of the disqualification of four pro-democracy legislators.
Composition
The Information Technology constituency was composed of individuals who are members of relevant associations such as the Hong Kong Computer Society, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and corporate members of organisations such as the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry and Society of Hong Kong External Telecommunications Services Providers who are entitled to vote at general meetings, as well as some other corporations with certain licences granted by the Telecommunication Authority.{{cite book|title=Electing Hong Kong's Chief Executivei|first1=Simon N.M.|last1=Young|first2=Richard|last2=Cullen|page=121|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|year=2010}}
Since 1998, there have been a number of additional associations included in the electorate. In 2006, there were four organisations where individual members were qualified as electorates although they were not allowed to vote in the general meetings, such as the Professional Information Security Association and the Hong Kong and Mainland Software Industry Corporation Association. Since 2003, members of the pro-Beijing Internet Professional Association (iProA) are also eligible to vote in the constituency, which helped its pro-Beijing member Samson Tam to take the seat from pro-democrats' hand in the 2008 Legislative Council election.
In 2006, there were 4,743 individuals (94.9% of the electorate) and 261 registered corporations (4.1% of the electorate). In 2016, it saw an 80% surge in the number of registered voters, from 6,716 in 2012 to 12,046 in 2016, according to provisional voter statistics released by the Registration and Electoral Office. Incumbent legislator Charles Mok questioned whether pro-Beijing forces were getting people to sign up.{{cite news|title=Hong Kong lawmaker fears Beijing behind jump in voters in IT functional constituency|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=1 June 2015|last1=Ng|first1=Kang-chung|first2=Tony|last2=Cheung|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1961580/hong-kong-lawmaker-fears-beijing-behind-jump-voters-it}}
In April 2017, the Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested 72 people over alleged vote-rigging, 68 of them were newly registered electors and four were middlemen, three of whom were registered voters. A source identified them as the members of the Internet Professional Association (iProA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Hong Kong section, computer chapter.{{cite news|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2084405/hong-kong-anti-graft-body-arrests-72-people-over-it-sector|title=Hong Kong anti-graft body arrests 72 people over alleged IT sector vote-rigging|date=3 April 2017|newspaper=South China Morning Post}}
Returned members
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| colspan="2"|Election | Member | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: {{party color|Democratic Party (Hong Kong)}}" |
| 1998 | rowspan=3| Sin Chung-kai | rowspan=3| Democratic | align=right| 1,543 | align=right| 63.71 | ||||
| style="background-color: {{party color|Democratic Party (Hong Kong)}}" |
| 2000 | align=right| 1,770 | align=right| 73.69 | ||||
| style="background-color: {{party color|Democratic Party (Hong Kong)}}" |
| 2004 | align=right| 1,946 | align=right| 52.59 | ||||
| style="background-color: {{party color|Independent (politician)}}" |
| 2008 | align=right| 2,017 | align=right| 50.44 | ||||
| style="background-color: {{party color|The Professional Commons}}" |
| 2012 | rowspan=2| Charles Peter Mok | rowspan=2| Professional Commons | align=right| 2,828 | align=right| 57.82 | ||||
| style="background-color: {{party color|The Professional Commons}}" |
| 2016 | align=right| 6,253 | align=right| 64.61 |
Electoral results
=2010s=
{{Election box begin | title=2016 Hong Kong legislative election: Information Technology}}{{cite web|title=Election Result|url=http://www.elections.gov.hk/legco2016/eng/result/rs_fc_Z.html|work=Electoral Affairs Commission}}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = The Professional Commons
|candidate = Charles Peter Mok
|votes = 6,253
|percentage = 64.61
|change = +6.79
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan candidate
|candidate = Eric Yeung Chuen-sing
|votes = 3,425
|percentage = 35.39
|change =
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 2,828
|percentage = 29.22
|change =
}}
{{Election box total valid
|votes = 9,678
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box rejected|
|votes = 205
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 9,883
|percentage = 81.74
|change = +5.55
}}
{{Election box Registered electors
|reg. electors = 12,091
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
|winner = The Professional Commons
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=2012 Hong Kong legislative election: Information Technology}}{{cite web|title=Election Result|work=Electoral Affairs Commission|url=http://www.elections.gov.hk/legco2012/eng/result/rs_fc_Z.html}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Charles Peter Mok
|votes = 2,828
|percentage = 57.82
|change = +8.26
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Tam Wai-ho
|votes = 2,063
|percentage = 42.18
|change = −8.26
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 765
|percentage = 15.64
|change =
}}
{{Election box total valid
|votes = 4,891
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box rejected|
|votes = 204
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 5,095
|percentage = 76.19
|change =
}}
{{Election box Registered electors
|reg. electors = 6,687
}}
{{Election box gain with party link
|winner = Independent (politician)
|loser = Nonpartisan politician
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=2000s=
{{Election box begin | title=2008 Hong Kong legislative election: Information Technology}}{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.gov.hk/legco2008/eng/result/rs_fc_Z.html |title=2008 Legislative Council Election |access-date=31 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913063649/http://www.elections.gov.hk/legco2008/eng/result/rs_fc_Z.html |archive-date=13 September 2012 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Tam Wai-ho
|votes = 2,017
|percentage = 50.44
|change = +7.79
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan candidate
|candidate = Charles Peter Mok
|votes = 1,982
|percentage = 49.56
|change =
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 35
|percentage = 0.88
|change =
}}
{{Election box total valid
|votes = 3,999
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box rejected|
|votes = 138
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 4,137
|percentage = 71.96
|change =
}}
{{Election box Registered electors
|reg. electors = 5,749
}}
{{Election box gain with party link
|winner = Independent (politician)
|loser = Nonpartisan politician
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=2004 Hong Kong legislative election: Information Technology}}{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco2004/english/results/rs_fc_overall.html |title=2004 Legislative Council Election - Election Results |access-date=20 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717015945/http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco2004/english/results/rs_fc_overall.html |archive-date=17 July 2012 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
|candidate = Sin Chung-kai
|votes = 1,946
|percentage = 52.59
|change = −21.20
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan candidate
|candidate = Tam Wai-ho
|votes = 1,578
|percentage = 42.65
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Independent (politician)
|candidate = Leung Mun-yee
|votes = 176
|percentage = 4.76
|change =
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 368
|percentage = 9.94
|change =
}}
{{Election box total valid
|votes = 3,700
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box rejected|
|votes = 52
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 3,752
|percentage = 82.08
|change =
}}
{{Election box Registered electors
|reg. electors = 4,571
}}
{{Election box hold with party link
|winner = Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=2000 Hong Kong legislative election: Information Technology}}{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco2000/update/result/fc_e.htm |title=Legislative Council Elections Results |access-date=20 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829065944/http://www.elections.gov.hk/elections/legco2000/update/result/fc_e.htm |archive-date=29 August 2012 }}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
|candidate = Sin Chung-kai
|votes = 1,770
|percentage = 73.69
|change = +9.98
}}
{{Election box candidate for alliance|
|party = Nonpartisan candidate
|side = New Century Forum
|candidate = Kan Wing-kei
|votes = 632
|percentage = 26.31
|change =
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 1,138
|percentage = 47.38
|change =
}}
{{Election box total valid
|votes = 2,402
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box rejected|
|votes = 78
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 2,480
|percentage = 64.80
|change =
}}
{{Election box Registered electors
|reg. electors = 3,827
}}
{{Election box hold with party link
|winner = Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
|swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
=1990s=
{{Election box begin | title=1998 Hong Kong legislative election: Information Technology}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link|
|party = Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
|candidate = Sin Chung-kai
|votes = 1,543
|percentage = 63.71
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan candidate
|candidate = Yung Kai-ling
|votes = 456
|percentage = 18.83
|change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party = Nonpartisan candidate
|candidate = Chan Kei-foo
|votes = 423
|percentage = 17.46
|change =
}}
{{Election box majority
|votes = 1,087
|percentage = 44.88
|change =
}}
{{Election box total valid
|votes = 2,422
|percentage = 100.00
|change =
}}
{{Election box rejected|
|votes = 72
|percentage =
|change =
}}
{{Election box turnout|
|votes = 2,494
|percentage = 80.19
|change =
}}
{{Election box Registered electors
|reg. electors = 3,110
}}
{{Election box new seat win
|winner = Democratic Party (Hong Kong)
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Hong Kong Legislative Council constituencies 2016-2020}}
Category:Constituencies of Hong Kong
Category:Constituencies of Hong Kong Legislative Council
Category:Functional constituencies (Hong Kong)
Category:1998 establishments in Hong Kong
Category:Constituencies established in 1998