Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) yesterday proposed changes to the at-large ticket in legislative elections to allow voters to cast preferential votes, so that they, instead of the party, may decide the ranking of candidates on the ballot.
“The current design on the at-large ballot often presents a big problem for political parties when they arrange the ranking of their candidates, and the seats often become bargaining chips for a party’s factions,” Gao told a news conference at the DPP caucus.
“Therefore, I would like to introduce a preferential voting system, so that voters may decide the ranking of each candidate through voting — this would make the electoral system more democratic as we return the power to decide to the people,” he said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Gao said that under his proposal, a voter would cast two votes at the polling station — one vote for a particular candidate in the constituency, and another vote for one of the candidates on a party’s at-large list — and the ranking of candidates on the at-large list would be decided according to the number of votes they garner.
He said that the preferential voting system would force political parties to think more about public opinion when nominating their at-large candidates, adding that a system like that is used in 27 countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria.
Under the current system, a voter also casts two votes — one for a candidate in the electoral district, and another for a particular political party — but it is the political party that decides the ranking of their at-large candidates.
Gao’s proposal drew mixed reactions from his colleagues within the party.
DPP Legislator Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said that the system could make lawmakers less “obedient” to the party and actually represent voters’ will in the legislature.
However, DPP Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said that the fight for at-large nominations is a battle, and it might be very difficult to convince the party to support such a proposal.
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