Voters cite family, jobs, and transport as top concerns in election

Residents casting their ballots in the city’s eighth Legislative Assembly election said family support, employment, and transportation were their main priorities,

By 2 p.m. yesterday, voter turnout had surpassed 100,000, marking the fastest participation rate in the city’s election history.

Chan, a local teacher, told the Times that she backed a seat whose policies reflected her family’s priorities. She said, “I think there are policies by the group I chose to support this time that align with my family and my hopes for Macau.”

Despite arriving at her polling station by car, Chan praised the city’s efforts to ease voting, mentioning, “I know the bus is free today, which is good […] I think traffic will still be busy with tourists and locals.”

Noting the midday heat and heavy traffic, Chan predicted that turnout would increase as the weather cooled. “More people might go out later […] it is very hot and sunny; traffic is a bit busy now, and it should be cooler later. It seems like a lot of people already went (to vote) around lunchtime,” she said.

Meanwhile, young voters raised concerns about job prospects and transportation challenges after casting their votes.

Lei, a final-year economics student, highlighted the difficulty graduates face in finding jobs, stating, “It’s difficult for graduates to find jobs these days, and I hope this can be improved. This is my first time (voting) […] I know the government has some rules in place to prioritize locals, and I think it’s been meaningful so far, but I hope more can be done in the future.”

The university student also pointed out problems with transportation, stating, “I’m also concerned about the traffic (in Macau). It’s hard to get a taxi or catch the bus sometimes because of tourists or peak times. Some of my friends who drive also cannot park near their homes; there are a lot of cars, which makes it hard to park.”

Among those who voted in the afternoon were members of the Filipino community who demonstrated support for candidates addressing employment concerns.

Remarking on her longstanding support for a particular candidate list, one voter told the Times, “The process went really smoothly […] There’s a high rate of unemployment; it’s not always obvious. The data makes it seem like everything is fine, but I personally know people who still can’t get full-time jobs, so they have to stick with part-time work […] I hope the elected lawmakers will really push the government to create more job opportunities for locals.”

Another Filipino resident admitted, “To be honest, I don’t really know most of the candidates, except for one. But I still wanted to do my civic duty.” She pointed to language barriers in debates, stating, “Since the debates are in Chinese, as a non-Chinese-speaking resident, I feel my role is to learn about their platforms and vote for the one whose vision aligns with mine.”

Another voter in the afternoon was 26-year-old resident Lam. Lam highlighted that he forgot his physical ID card but was still able to verify his identity using electronic identification through the Macao One app. “I had forgotten to bring my ID card but was still able to show them my electronic ID on the Macao One app; they need to confirm identification at the venue,” he said.

This year’s election includes direct voting for legislators, complemented by 12 members chosen by representatives of various sectors such as business, labor, education, and sports, while seven additional legislators will be appointed by the Chief Executive after the election.

Around 328,000 residents registered as eligible voters.

Polling took place at 38 direct and five indirect stations across the city, with voting closing at 9 p.m. To encourage voter participation, public bus and light rail rides remained free of charge throughout the day.

At 5 p.m. yesterday, 142,552 votes had been cast in the election, surpassing the total of 137,279 recorded in the entire 2021 election.