Getting the message across

Ensuring good communication between the candidates and voters is fundamental for voters to select their deputies. In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the Internet is widely used to enable voters to better understand what the candidates can do for them.

On November 1 when the nominated deputy candidates for Beijing's Xicheng District People's Congress were released, the names of the four nominated candidates of the district's Jinrong Street electoral sub-district were posted online. Voters can log on and browse the candidates' information and watch their campaign videos.

According to Hou Huawei, Deputy Director of Jinrong Street Electoral Sub-Commission, there are about 130,000 voters registered in this electoral sub-district and 90 percent of them are office workers. These voters do not have much time to physically communicate with these candidates. "By putting the candidates' information on the Internet, voters can browse their information and watch their presentations any time at their convenience," said Hou. Meanwhile, the sub-commission also held live meetings for face-to-face communications between the voters and the candidates.

Guo Hao, a candidate of Jinrong Street electoral sub-district, was satisfied with the system. "I hope voters can spend time to learn more about us, especially on our election commitments, before making decisions," Guo told Xinhua News Agency. A senior office manager, Guo was a deputy candidate to the local people's congress five years ago, but failed in the final election, due to what he says the lack of voters' understanding of what he stood for. "The Internet is changing ways of election in China," Guo said.

Independents dominate

Unlike Guo, whose name was put forward for election by the local residents' committee, there are many individuals standing for the election. According to China's Election Law, one can run for election by being nominated by a political party, social organization or at least 10 voters. Previously, most of the candidates were nominated by either political parties or social organizations. This time, the situation has changed.

Liu Weilin, Deputy Secretary General and Spokesman of the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress, said of the 6,615 nominated candidates for grassroots people's congresses in 2,257 electoral sub-districts in Beijing this year, 5,896 were nominated by voters, accounting for 89.1 percent of the total. The rate of those, who were nominated by political parties or social organizations and used to account for a greater proportion in the previous elections, dropped to 10.9 percent.

"This is normal in direct elections," said Liu, adding that all the citizens above 18 years old in China have the right to vote and stand for election.

Ye Jingchun wants to be elected as a deputy to the people's congress of her sub-district. Though she missed the registration period, she remains confident. "People can still vote for me by directly writing my name on their ballots," she said.

The 55-year-old retiree began preparing for the election from the end of August. She printed her election statements and started her campaign in her sub-district. In order to get support from Internet users, she even learned to use a computer and set up a microblog.

"My purpose of participating in the election is very simple: being a deputy available anytime," Ye told ChinAfrica. She said in the past years, she tried several times to contact the deputy of her sub-district for help, to no avail.

"You know, many of the deputies are actually part-time and they don't have much time for district affairs," she said. "If I cannot find you after you are elected, why should I vote you now?"