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.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition