title:  500,000 Hongkongers cast 'protest vote' against security law
content: Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens queued to cast ballots over the weekend in what the Chinese-ruled city ’ s opposition camp says is a symbolic protest vote against a tough national security law directly imposed by Beijing .
  The unofficial poll will decide the strongest pro-democracy candidates to contest elections for the legislative council in September , when those candidates will aim to ride a wave of anti-China sentiment stirred by the law to seize control from pro-Beijing rivals for the first time .
  While the primaries are only for voters in the opposition camp , observers are watching closely as they say the turnout will serve as a test of broader sentiment about the law , which critics say gravely undermines the city ’ s freedoms .
  “ A high turnout will send a very strong signal to the international community that we Hongkongers never give up , ” said Sunny Cheung , 24 , one of a batch of aspiring young democrats out lobbying and giving stump speeches . “ And that we still stand with the democratic camp , we still support democracy and freedom. “
  Play Video 4:13 Is China pushing Hong Kong further away with its new security law ? – video explainer
  Defying warnings from a senior Hong Kong official that the vote might fall foul of the national security law , residents young and old flocked to more than 250 polling stations across the city , manned by thousands of volunteers .
  Long queues formed down streets , in residential estates and at businesses turned polling stations , with people casting a ballot using their phones after having their identities verified .
  Organisers said 500,000 people had voted by late afternoon on Sunday , in the city of 7.5 million . The full turnout is expected to be announced on Monday morning after two full days of voting this weekend .
  The law punishes what China describes broadly as secession , subversion , terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison and allows mainland security agents to operate officially in Hong Kong for the first time .
content_original: Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens queued to cast ballots over the weekend in what the Chinese-ruled city’s opposition camp says is a symbolic protest vote against a tough national security law directly imposed by Beijing.
  
  The unofficial poll will decide the strongest pro-democracy candidates to contest elections for the legislative council in September, when those candidates will aim to ride a wave of anti-China sentiment stirred by the law to seize control from pro-Beijing rivals for the first time.
  
  While the primaries are only for voters in the opposition camp, observers are watching closely as they say the turnout will serve as a test of broader sentiment about the law, which critics say gravely undermines the city’s freedoms.
  
  “A high turnout will send a very strong signal to the international community that we Hongkongers never give up,” said Sunny Cheung, 24, one of a batch of aspiring young democrats out lobbying and giving stump speeches. “And that we still stand with the democratic camp, we still support democracy and freedom.“
  
  Play Video 4:13 Is China pushing Hong Kong further away with its new security law? – video explainer
  
  Defying warnings from a senior Hong Kong official that the vote might fall foul of the national security law, residents young and old flocked to more than 250 polling stations across the city, manned by thousands of volunteers.
  
  Long queues formed down streets, in residential estates and at businesses turned polling stations, with people casting a ballot using their phones after having their identities verified.
  
  Organisers said 500,000 people had voted by late afternoon on Sunday, in the city of 7.5 million. The full turnout is expected to be announced on Monday morning after two full days of voting this weekend.
  
  The law punishes what China describes broadly as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison and allows mainland security agents to operate officially in Hong Kong for the first time.