A record number of voters turned Sunday for a crucial district election in Hong Kong. Turnout by later afternoon was 52 percent, far higher than previous elections. The vote is seen as a barometer of support for Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam and for ongoing pro-democracy protests. A record 1,104 mostly new candidates hoping to change the direction of the city’s government are on the ballot for 452 seats. The vote comes on the heels of some of the most violent protests in a six-month siege of the city by pro-democracy demonstrators.