The people of Hong Kong voted on Dec. 19 in the Legislative Council election, the first after Beijing changed its electoral system to cut down directly elected lawmakers and vet candidates. The move saw a drop in public enthusiasm during the election. About 4.5 million residents are eligible to vote. Yet the latest survey by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute found almost 40 percent of respondents indicated that they are unlikely to vote, the lowest point in decades. The Registration and Electoral Office announced in the afternoon that the turnout rate for the 10 geographical constituencies in Hong Kong was about 21 percent as of 4:30 p.m. local time, lower than the 31 percent of the last Legislative Council election in 2016. The rate also fell far behind the 52 percent turnout rate by 4:30 p.m. of the district council election in 2019, after huge pro-democracy protests against the Chinese …