Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang said on Saturday the government was pleased and grateful to see that more than 1.31 million people had cast votes in the geographical constituencies in the Legislative Council election amid the sombre atmosphere that enveloped the city following the shocking blaze in Tai Po.

Speaking on a televised programme, he said the tragedy had an impact on the turnout rate of 31.9 percent given the administration's earlier enhanced promotional efforts to stress the importance of the election.

"Indeed, we had expected the turnout rate to be even higher," Tsang said.

"Unfortunately, there was the Tai Po fire, and it did have a certain impact.

"As for what exactly the impact was, everyone has different views.

"Some said they were not in the mood to go out to cast their votes, while others said they should turn anger into power and go vote so that the governance, including disaster relief and follow up work, can be improved."

The turnout rate in this election could not, Tsang said, be compared to those in the past before improvements had been made to an electoral system that saw anti-China and destabilising forces enter Legco.

Technology, he added, can be a way to minimise the potential for invalid ballots and ensure voters do not forget to cast ballots.

Even though the government has proposed the use of smart ballot boxes in the past, Tsang noted that the idea was shelved due to privacy concerns.

He did not rule out the possibility of reviving the proposal if the public is receptive to it.