Barnabas Fung, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), speaks to media during the 2019 District Council Ordinary Election. 

Polls are open from 7:30 a.m. Beijing time to 10:30 p.m. Beijing time today in the HKSAR for the election. Over 600 ordinary polling stations and 23 dedicated polling stations are open for over 4.13 million registered voters listed on the 2019 Final Register. A total of 1,090 validly nominated candidates will compete for the 452 seats in the 18 districts. The elections, held every four years, are in the spotlight this year as escalating violent protests have almost paralyzed the Asian financial hub.