2025 Legislative Council Election: Ethnic Minorities Actively Voted

To encourage ethnic minorities to vote, the government has specially set up ethnic minority polling stations in areas where they live to facilitate their voting. Some ethnic minority voters are very satisfied with such election arrangements. Many of them hope that the newly elected legislators can pay attention to the issues of ethnic minorities and help to improve their well-being.

The polling station of Kowloon Park Sports Centre set for ethnic minorities to vote, Photo by Bastille Post

As-Sakay (middle) and his friends, Photo by Bastille Post

As-Sakay from the Muslim community came to the polling station of Kowloon Park Sports Centre to vote. He said that the voting experience was "perfect". Everything was well arranged, and the voting time was quite short, with a smooth process. He was particularly satisfied that the voting time could be extended to 11:30 p.m., considering it more convenient than before.

Moreover, he thought it was quite good that the government had set up a polling station specifically for ethnic minorities in Kowloon Park this year. Since the polling station was close to his residence, it was very easy for him to come and vote.

The polling station of Kowloon Park Sports Centre set for ethnic minorities to vote, Photo by Bastille Post

When asked about his criteria for choosing voted candidates, As-Sakay said that what he would be most concerned about was whether the candidates could truly help to improve the well-being of ethnic minorities rather than just merely making promises. For the next four years, he hoped that the newly elected Legislative Council members could bring more substantive assistance and benefits to Hong Kong and ethnic minority communities, making everyone's life better.

Uthman Yang, the Imam of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, Photo by Bastille Post

Uthman Yang, the Imam of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, encouraged ethnic minorities to actively participate in voting during an interview with Bastille Post. As for him, his selection criteria for voted legislators are to be capable, hardworking and pragmatic. He hoped the newly elected legislators could offer valuable advice and suggestions to the government and come up with good policies. He wished the government would formulate some preferential policies for ethnic minorities to help them improve their livelihoods and employment. For instance, in terms of education, the legislators can help them integrate into Hong Kong society, as learning Chinese would be a challenge for them, and they would also face language barriers when looking for jobs in Hong Kong.

The Islamic Union of Hong Kong, Photo by Bastille Post

In addition, there are 300,000 Muslims in Hong Kong, which evokes a great demand for religious venues. Currently, there is a shortage of such venues. Uthman Yang hoped that the government could enhance its support in this regard. In his eyes, the composition of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong is rather complex, involving people coming from different countries. He hoped that the government could pay more attention to their requirements, enabling ethnic minorities to integrate into Hong Kong society and contribute to the prosperity of Hong Kong.

Syed, Photo by Bastille Post

The Indian, Syed, was very satisfied with the voting arrangement this year, describing it as "terrific". His entire voting process was completed in about three minutes. He said that the guidance at the polling station was quite easy to understand, and the related staff all had a very good service attitude.

Syed has lived in Hong Kong for over 24 years. Regarding his selection criteria for voted legislators, he said he would support those who truly care about the Hong Kong residents, especially the ethnic minorities. For the next four years, he sincerely hoped that the newly elected Legislative Council members would pay more attention to the needs of ethnic minorities, especially those from the Indian community, and continue to take good care of their well-being.

Batra Gulbir Singh, Photo by Bastille Post

There is also a considerable number of Sikhs in Hong Kong. Batra Gulbir Singh, in his eighties, has been living and working in Hong Kong for 40 years as an accountant. For the new Legislative Council members, he hoped that they could help Hong Kong turn into a more harmonious society.

Batra Gulbir Singh came to the polling station set for ethnic minorities in Wan Chai to vote, Photo by Bastille Post

He also hoped that the newly elected legislators could assist ethnic minorities in the aspect of education. He mentioned that a kindergarten, which was specifically set up for ethnic minorities, was relocated earlier due to the requirement of project construction. As for now, he hoped that the kindergarten could be moved back into the Sikh Temple to save rent.

The midterm elections officially begin Tuesday with primaries in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas. As war with Iran breaks out, Democrats and Republicans are figuring out who they want to lead their party into November’s general election, when control of Congress and statehouses around the country will be up for grabs.

The most hotly contested races of the day are in Texas, with fierce competition on both sides of the aisle for U.S. Senate nominations. It’s possible that the Republican campaign will continue into a runoff.

Here's the latest:

Election officials in North Carolina said Tuesday about 25% more people cast early voting ballots this year than the last midterm primaries in 2022.

About 714,000 ballots were cast early in 2026, North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Sam Hayes said.

Only isolated issues with precincts have been reported Tuesday and those have been addressed, Hayes said.

A poling place in Warren County did catch fire Monday, but the state sent a mobile voting unit to the site and voting started normally Tuesday morning, officials said.

That’s because an Arkansas father accused of killing his daughter’s alleged abuser is running for sheriff while awaiting trial for murder.

Aaron Spencer, an Army veteran and farmer, is running as a Republican against Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley, whose department arrested Spencer in October 2024. A third Republican, David Bufford, also is on the ballot in that race.

Spencer’s trial was scheduled to start in January, but was delayed after the presiding judge was removed from the case.

And he argues that scenario is especially plausible if he doesn’t win the GOP primary in Texas.

“Republican voters are going to need to decide, do we want to win? Do we want to keep Texas red? If the Attorney General (Ken Paxton) is the nominee, that risks everything we’ve been working on for decades in Texas, with Republican leadership and conservative policies making Texas the envy of the nation,” Cornyn said on Fox News on Tuesday morning.

Cornyn faces a crowded field in the party primary, drawing challenges from Paxton, U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt and five others.

Tanu Sani, a Democrat, said she had been undecided on who to vote for but ultimately chose state Rep. James Talarico, saying he “really spoke to me in the way he tries to unify.”

Andrew Kern, who said he leans Democrat, said he went the same way. Kern said he feels Talarico “is taking an approach that’s bridging some of the divisiveness.”

Sen. Tom Cotton was unopposed in his 2014 and 2020 primaries, and Sanders and Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman won their 2022 primaries with 83% and 66% of the vote, respectively.

Cotton faces two challengers this year. Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is seeking a second term, is running unopposed in the primary.

The state’s Republican lieutenant governor, attorney general, auditor and treasurer also face no primary challengers in their reelection bids.

In almost all cases, races can be called well before all votes have been counted. The AP’s team of election journalists and analysts will call a race as soon as a clear winner can be determined.

In competitive races, AP analysts may need to wait until additional votes are tallied or to confirm specific information about how many ballots are left to count.

Competitive races in which votes are actively being tabulated — for example, in states that count a large number of votes after election night — might be considered “too early to call.” A race may be “too close to call” if a race is so close that there’s no clear winner even once all ballots except for provisional and late-arriving absentee ballots have been counted.

The AP’s race calls are not predictions and are not based on speculation. They are declarations based on an analysis of vote results and other election data that one candidate has emerged as the winner and that no other candidate in the race will be able to overtake the winner once all the votes have been counted.

The AP’s vote count brings together information that otherwise might not be available online for days or weeks after an election or is scattered across hundreds of local websites. Without national standards or consistent expectations across states, it also ensures the data is in a standard format, uses standard terms and undergoes rigorous quality control.

The AP hires vote count reporters who work with local election officials to collect results directly from counties or precincts where votes are first counted. These reporters submit them, by phone or electronically, as soon as the results are available. If any of the results are available from state or county websites, the AP will gather the results from there, too.

In many cases, counties will update vote totals as they count ballots throughout the night. The AP is continually updating its count as these results are released. In a general election, the AP will make as many as 21,000 vote updates per hour.

The 2026 midterm season begins in earnest Tuesday with two of the nation’s most consequential Senate primaries playing out in Texas, a political behemoth Democrats have been fighting to flip for decades.

Is this the year? Republican leaders in Washington openly fret that a victory by conservative firebrand Ken Paxton over four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn would give Democrats a rare shot of winning the seat come November. The contest has already cost Republicans tens of millions of dollars, and there will be much more spent ahead of a May 26 runoff if no one gets 50% in the three-way primary that also includes Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Democrats, meanwhile, are picking between two rising stars with conflicting styles. There’s U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who made a name for herself through confrontation, and state Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher who’s working toward a divinity degree.

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The United States doesn’t have a nationwide body that collects and releases election results. Elections are administered locally, by thousands of offices, following standards set by the states. In many cases, the states themselves don’t even offer up-to-date tracking of election results.

The AP fills this gap by compiling vote results and declaring winners in elections, providing critical information in the period between Election Day and the official certification of results, which typically takes weeks.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said in January that the state should seize control of elections in Harris County, which includes Houston and is a key battleground.

His comments continued years of Republican criticism over how elections are run in the county of more than 5 million, where Hispanic and Black residents make up a majority. Democrats have controlled the county since 2018.

Abbott signed laws that eliminated Harris County’s independent elections administrator and banned drive-thru voting in Houston. And last year he waited nine months to hold a special election to fill a U.S. House seat representing Houston, saying the county needed extra time to prepare for a vote without any problems.

Democrats accused Abbott of delaying that election to help Republicans maintain their razor-thin margin in the House.

Republican incumbents, including U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, are heavy favorites to win their primaries in Arkansas.

Cotton, who is seeking his third term in office, will face Jeb Little, an Arkansas State Police trooper, and Micah Ashby, a minister from Bradford.

Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as President Donald Trump’s press secretary during Trump’s first term, is seeking her second term in office. She did not draw a Republican opponent.

Arkansas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 2010, and Sanders and Cotton will be heavy favorites to win reelection in November.

Polls have now opened for voters in El Paso and Hudspeth counties, an area of about 1 million people on the western tip of Texas in the Mountain Time Zone.

Polls in Arkansas are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and voters are required to show photo identification before voting.

About 2,600 sites opened statewide at 6:30 a.m. ET and will close at 7:30 p.m. ET. Some ballots have already been cast by mail or during an early in-person voting period that ended Saturday.

There’s an open race for a seat in the U.S. Senate because Republican Sen. Thom Tillis decided not to seek reelection after clashing with Trump. Former Gov. Roy Cooper is seeking the Democratic nomination, while former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is running to represent his party.

Voters are also picking nominees for U.S. House seats, including the Republican choice to challenge Democratic Rep. Don Davis in the 1st District. That district became more Republican as state legislators redrew it during Trump’s redistricting effort to help his party maintain control of the House.

People vote on primary election day at the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio /Houston Chronicle via AP)

People vote during a primary election day at the West Gray Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Raquel Natalicchio /Houston Chronicle via AP)

A man wears an "I voted" sticker outside a polling location Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Spring, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A voter makes his way into a polling location, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Spring, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

FILE - An election judge arranges "I Vote, I Count" stickers on a table in the Marion County Clerks office as voters cast early ballots in Indianapolis, Oct. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)