Voting is under way in Hong Kong elections that have become a barometer of public support for anti-government protests now in their sixth month.More than 17.4% of registered voters cast ballots in the first three hours of polling compared to 6.8% for the same election four years ago.The public are choosing representatives for 452 seats in the city's 18 district councils.The councils are largely advisory and have little power, but the election has taken on symbolic importance in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.A strong showing by the opposition would prove the public still supports the pro-democracy movement, even as the protests have become increasingly violent.The ruling camp in Hong Kong and the national government in Beijing hope that the unrest and disruption to daily life will turn voters against the movement.Image:Pro-democracy protests have escalated since JuneA record 4.1 million Hong Kong people, from a population of 7.4 million, have enrolled to vote.For the first time, riot police will guard all polling stations in the city and almost all officers in the 31,000-strong force will be on duty, the South China Morning Post reported.The protests snowballed from June after years of resentment over what many residents see as Chinese meddling in freedoms promised to Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.Beijing has said it is committed to the "one country, two systems" formula by which Hong Kong is governed.It denies meddling in the affairs of Hong Kong, an Asian financial hub, and accuses foreign governments of stirring up trouble.Young pro-democracy activists are running in some of the seats that were once uncontested and dominated by pro-Beijing candidates.One pro-democracy candidate for the Wan Chai district council, Chris Chan, said the election would reflect public opinion after the upheaval of recent months.