Around 700,000 Hong Kong residents cast their online votes in the first three days of unofficial referendum on universal suffrage and democratic reforms that began Friday.

Mainland authorities denounced the movement as illegal, asserting the poll possess "no legal efficacy or reference value." Organizers hope to bolster their case with a high turnout.

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The poll has been extended until June 29 after repeated cyberattacks on the voting website prompted organizers to set up 15 voting precincts across the city on Sunday. The majority of voters cast their ballots online with tens of thousands lining up at the polling centers.

The referendum on selecting Hong Kong's chief executive was organized by Occupy Central, a protest group that proposes a pro-democracy electoral system that will allow free and fair elections as promised in the Hong Kong Basic Law. The mini-constitution grants the city autonomy over most matters since its return to Chinese rule in 1997 under the 'One Country, Two Systems' policy.

The referendum came after the release of a White Paper that asserted Beijing's authority over the city, drawing residents' ire.

Under the Basic Law, the chief executive must be chosen "by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee."

The Economist recently released a governance index which described Hong Kong as a ''flawed democracy.'' The city's chief executive and legislature are elected by 1,200 residents who sit on the Election Committee comprised mainly of pro-Mainland parties and representatives of elite sectors.

While Beijing allows Hong Kong to conduct a city-wide election in 2017, the central government ruled out public nomination and instead insists on choosing pro-Beijing candidates, rendering the right to suffrage meaningless.

Activists like Anson Chan, the former Chief Secretary of the city, believe that the Hong Kong government must advance proposals that will lend the people true democracy. Ordinary citizens resonate with activists' concern for genuine choice among candidates.

"We hope the government can understand through this referendum how strong public demand is, and take this into consideration when making a decision," says one of the referendum's organizers, Benny Tai. He foresees a more radical action should the government fail to meet the reforms demanded.

The organizers vow to close down the city's financial district later this year with a sit-in protest called the Occupy Central.  Already, the threat of a closedown is causing jitters among local and international businesses that operate in the city-state, which is one of the major financial hubs in the world.

Tagsoccupy central, hong kong referendum, hk pro-democracy movement