The Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday said that it made mistakes that eventually led to the long lines in last month’s nine-in-one elections, adding that it would increase the number of polling stations in coming elections and review rules on when to hold referendums.
The 10 referendums held alongside the local elections on Nov. 24 were approved in October, leaving the government with less than two months to make the necessary adjustments at polling stations, whose planning had been finalized in August, the commission said in a report submitted to the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee, which is to be reviewed today.
The lines were caused by limited space at polling stations, an insufficient number of curtained booths and multiple referendum ballots that prolonged the voting process, it said, adding that it has since the elections purchased an additional 3,503 curtained booths.
As soon as the long lines appeared, the CEC instructed local election commissions to increase the number of voting booths or move some of the election booths to the referendum area if necessary, it said, but added that the measure did not reduce the lines.
The commission said it made mistakes and inconvenienced voters.
The lines significantly delayed the voting process at some polling stations, where voters continued to wait in line after other stations began counting ballots.
Voters who arrive at polling stations before the deadline must be allowed to vote and polling stations must begin counting ballots after the voting process ends, the CEC said, citing the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).
A total of 295,904 personnel took part in the elections and referendums, but more than one-third of them had no prior experience in handling votes, the CEC said.
Due to stress from dealing with long lines and complaints from voters, a number of staff might have behaved inappropriately or handled ballots in ways that were not in line with standard procedure, it added.
The CEC said it would convene a meeting with local election commissions this month to review the voting rules and their execution.
For last month’s elections, the CEC said it had calculated the number of polling stations as one for every 1,500 voters in cities, and one for every 1,300 voters in counties and mountain Aboriginal districts.
The experience of holding elections alongside referendums showed that the number of people per polling station should be lowered, the commission said, adding that it would increase the number of polling stations and look for possible locations for new stations.
As more referendums could be held alongside elections, the CEC said it would discuss ways to simplify the processes for casting and counting ballots, including changing the voting order, redesigning referendum ballots and replanning line routes.
In last month’s vote, voters cast the ballots for local officials first and then moved to a different counter to collect referendum ballots.
To give the public more time to understand the referendum topics and for the government to make preparations, the CEC said it would review the law on when to hold referendums and consider proposing amendments.
Under Article 23 of the Referendum Act (公民投票法), once a referendum proposal is approved, the commission must hold the referendum within seven months and at least one month after its approval.
However, if there are national elections scheduled to take place within that period, the referendums must be held alongside the elections, according to the act.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS