Voters can take notes about referendums into the voting booths as long as they cannot not be mistaken for the actual ballot, the Central Election Commission said yesterday.
The agency made the announcement in response to public complaints that the text on the referendum ballots is too long and arcane.
The commission has previously said that notes or pamphlets that could easily be mistaken for referendum ballots would not be allowed to be taken into the booths, commission spokesperson Chen Chao-chien (陳朝建) said.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Voters should not publicly display materials they have prepared to help them understand the referendums, Chen said, adding that voters should study the referendum material to facilitate the voting process.
However, voters must not leave any notes in the voting booths after they are finished voting, the commission said.
Citing Article 56 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), the agency said that no individual should openly campaign or hold campaign-related events after 10pm on the eve of voting day.
Such events are only limited to “events that would obstruct the peace and quiet of local residents and communities,” and canvassing for votes via direct broadcasting on the Internet would not contravene the article, it said.
However, no campaign activity — physical or digital — should be conducted after midnight on the day of voting, the commission added.
Voters are to first cast their ballot in the nine-in-one local elections, then should return and receive the referendum ballots they wish to vote on, the commission said.
While voters have the freedom to choose which referendums they wish to vote on, unless they make known that they do not wish to receive the referendum ballots, poll workers are obliged to lead the voters to the station where they would receive the ballots, the commission said.
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