It started when Mr. Jiang filed a series of lawsuits to try to resolve a number problems related to property management. After a string of defeats, he sought help from his local representative, only to discover that the man was a party to one of his lawsuits.

“It was only then that I realized that according to the election law, if I could get enough votes in the community, I could become a representative myself,” Mr. Jiang said. Or so it appeared. Mr. Jiang began sending out hundreds of short messages with his cellphone to seek backers for his candidacy. He printed campaign cards, which he distributed in the neighborhood to encourage residents to vote.

When he had enlisted enough support he tried to register his candidacy, but he was turned away by officials who told him he was not a Shenzhen resident and therefore could not even vote locally. On the eve of the election, Mr. Jiang filed suit over the denial of his voting rights. Three days before the trial was to begin, registration officials tried to force their way into his apartment. He agreed to meet them outdoors, whereupon the officials informed him that they would allow him to vote. Minutes later, court officials showed up telling him he could be a candidate if he dropped his lawsuit.

Mr. Jiang refused, saying the process was too tainted for him to participate, and his lawsuit was later dismissed. In another part of town, another resident sought election to the local district council, only to see the number of eligible voters double after the close of registration. Saying it was a clumsy attempt to fix the outcome, the candidate, Ma Jinhua, withdrew in protest.