Next year’s joint presidential and legislative elections are to take place on Jan. 16, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday.
The commission finalized its decision at a noon meeting yesterday, amid accusations that the election’s proximity to college final exams was an attempt to reduce turnout among young voters.
CEC Deputy Chairman Chen Wen-sheng (陳文生) said that the commission chose to hold the elections on Jan. 16 — a Saturday — instead of Jan. 9, because a majority of universities end their semester by Jan. 15.
The commission will remind the Ministry of Education to coordinate university schedules for the upcoming semester to safeguard the voting rights of college students, he added.
However, the decision continued to draw criticism from youth activists, who accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of employing “cheap tricks” to prevent students from voting.
Youth activist Hung Chung-yen (洪崇晏), a member of the Green Party’s central executive committee, said the date would not allow sufficient time for students to return to their hometowns immediately after their final exams.
“What if some school dormitories are not available for use over the winter vacation? Would it not take time to pack up before students can return home?” Hung asked.
Pro-independence youth activist Na Su-phok (藍士博), who is running for legislator as an independent in Greater Taoyuan’s Taoyuan District (桃園), said youth organizations plan to demand that universities move their final exams earlier to “mitigate the conflict between exams and the election.”
“I think the commission still does not place enough importance on the voices and demands of young people,” Na said.
College students typically return to their hometowns to vote, as voters are required to cast their ballots at an ascribed polling station according to the location of their household registration.
By law, legislative elections must be held at least 10 days before incumbent legislators end their term on Jan. 31 — which means the elections must be held before Jan. 21.
Additional reporting by CNA
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