Scottish election inquiry: Scottish citizens prevented from voting after being identified as 'Chinese'

An investigation has been launched after dual nationals were left “unable to vote” in Scotland after being mistakenly identified as “Chinese”.

Hong Kong-born citizens holding British National (Overseas) (BN(O) passports) found themselves in a difficult situation yesterday after being turned away from polling stations across the country. More than 100 people are believed to have been affected by the issue, which saw them misclassified on the electoral roll.

The Hong Kong Scottish non-profit organisation representing affected voters says around half of BN(O) holders were unable to vote. It has called for more training for polling staff to stop any further “discrimination”.

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A Glasgow charity worker who was affected by the issue, but asked not to be named, said: “Hong Kong people use British National (Overseas) identity to vote in the general election. For historical reasons we have a British passport and are eligible to vote.

“Hong Kongers in Scotland were told that they were registered as Chinese under the Scottish electoral registration system, which is not the case in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. I was told to call the electoral registration office which was run by Glasgow City Council and send them my British passport to update my details.

“The staff member refused to help me and said I couldn’t vote this time. I don’t feel safe in this country. Firstly, I don’t think the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council are protecting citizens’ rights.

“Secondly, they are not responsible for their mistakes and are letting people suffer. This time, some of the political rights of citizens are being taken away. I work in a charity and I help many Scots and Nova Scotians every day, but the government will not let me assert my rights. I am really angry.”

Wing Kin, who lives in North Lanarkshire, added: “I am originally from Hong Kong and hold a Hong Kong passport. I entered the UK on a BNO visa 3 years ago.

“I was unable to vote in the general election yesterday. I tried to contact the local council on July 1st but they told me I was not eligible to vote on July 2nd.”

The error is believed to have affected voters in Glasgow, Fife, Edinburgh, Perth, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Dunfermline, Aberdeen City, East Ayrshire Council and Dundee. According to Hong Kong Scottish residents, half of BN(O) holders were affected.

Glasgow Live is aware that some were able to vote after frantic calls to the Electoral Commission and councils.

Kwok and Ng, who were also affected, said: “We called the Glasgow electoral registration office on July 2 to say we had not received our voting cards. The guy on the phone said we were registered as 'Hong Kong Chinese' and so could not vote on the 4th.”

“We told him that we would not register as Hong Kong Chinese. We chose Hong Kong BNO. He said that their system never makes mistakes, they only take what we choose and that we would not be able to make the change in time.

“We will have to apply again to vote. On the 4th, we saw a few Hongkongers having the same problem and the Scottish Hongkongers Facebook group suggested that people facing the same problem should email the Electoral Registration Office. We emailed them a copy of our BNO passport and called them. Eventually, they acknowledged an administrative error in an email and made the change and allowed us to vote yesterday.”

BN(O) status is a form of British nationality created for people from Hong Kong to retain a form of British nationality and a link to the United Kingdom after the handover to China in 1997, in accordance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration. They are eligible to vote in British elections and are counted as British nationals and Commonwealth citizens.

Daniel Kwok Tsz-kin, director of Hong Kong Scots, told Glasgow Live: “We have been in contact with over 100 Hong Kongers with BN(O) nationality who have contacted us because they are unable to vote. We estimate that this affects almost half of eligible Hong Kongers with BN(O) nationality.

“This is a major blow to the Hong Kong community in Scotland, affecting their ability to settle and integrate here. Some have expressed surprise at being confronted with government discrimination for the first time.

“We wasted no time in contacting COSLA the same day, and they have already made progress in resolving some of the issues. Therefore, we recommend that they be offered additional training to improve their awareness.”

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “We are aware that some people in Scotland who were previously resident in Hong Kong and who hold a British Overseas Territory, British National (Overseas) or British Citizen Overseas passport were turned away from voting yesterday due to incorrect categorisation on the electoral roll.

“Anyone who has experienced this situation should contact their local electoral registration office. Their contact details can be found on the Electoral Commission website.”

“We are working with voter registration officers to understand why some people may have had difficulty voting. We will conduct research with voters and election officials to understand their experiences and will publish a report on how the election went.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We will investigate any complaints made to us.”

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