“We will offer flexible work arrangements for civil servants on the day,” he said. “They can vote before going to work and if they need to reimburse taxi fare, it’s also fine.”

Observers and some politicians expect a poor turnout after the revamped Legislative Council election held two years ago drew a record low number of votes, with commentators also saying there is a lack of interest among residents about the coming poll.

In recent weeks, government officials have released several videos promoting the poll, and taken every chance to urge people to vote when speaking publicly.

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Stalls encouraging voters have even been set up at bazaars as part of the “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign to bring life back into the evening economy.

A new promotional video on Saturday featured Chan, civil service chief Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan and heads of several unions of civil servants and disciplined service officers calling on their colleagues to cast their ballots.

But Chan stressed there were no performance goals for the promotion campaign and voter turnout.

“We have no prediction of the voter turnout, but we want to educate the public about the importance of voting,” he said.

“Some people say they will only vote when there are candidates from the opposition camp, but that is not right.

“The voter turnout will reflect how many people understand this, and that is what we want to achieve.”

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Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk said the government had “gone all out” and “exhausted all means” to promote the election.

While several ministers had previously played down the importance of the turnout, Cheuk argued it still mattered.

“People may think their vote will not matter because peace has been restored in society, but the candidates need your recognition and endorsement,” Cheuk said on a radio show. “They will work even harder with more votes.”

He also underscored the importance of civil servants voting, but stressed he was not putting pressure on them.

Cheuk said he and deputy finance chief Michael Wong Wai-lun and deputy justice chief Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan met Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, in Shenzhen on Thursday to report on their work.

He said the coming election was one Xia’s main concerns, adding the central government official also supported and recognised their efforts and reiterated Beijing’s confidence in the local administration’s governance.

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Meanwhile, both the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) and the Liberal Party held separate events to canvass support for their candidates in the Eastern and Kwun Tong districts.

Former DAB chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king refused to predict the turnout for the poll, which some political analysts earlier said could be as low as 20 per cent of eligible voters.

“I will not predict the voting rate,” Lee said. “I have received only positive feedback from residents.”

She added the comments were a “good sign” that the promotion of election platforms had been carried out “in a healthy way”.

DAB veteran Chan Kam-lam said he was not worried about the number of voters, arguing some residents did not mind who would be on the councils when society was stable and safe.

“The most important thing is not the voting rate but the people who eventually get elected,” he said.