College students launched a crowdfunding campaign to charter buses to take students home to vote for the presidential and legislative elections on Saturday, saying the campaign would help young people participate in democracy and exercise their rights.
Student association leaders from National Taiwan, National Chengchi and National Yang-Ming universities as well as Mackay Medical College yesterday told a news conference in Taipei that they raised funds to pay for students to travel home so they can to boost voter numbers.
A majority of college students study away from home and the cost of bus fare and travel time could deter people from going home to vote. The campaign was organized to help young people exercise their political rights, the leaders said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
“It is a display of direct democracy that students go home and vote. It allows young people to express their voice and exercise their rights,” National Chengchi University student association president Chen Yi-lin (陳億霖) said.
About 145 charter buses with a total capacity of 2,500 seats have been offered free of charge or at a discounted price to students at various locations. Buses are scheduled to depart on Friday after the exam week, Chen said.
The campaign expanded on a similar 2014 crowdfunding campaign organized by Taiwan Citizen Union that financed students to return home and vote. This year’s campaign is expected to see a 10 percent increase in the number of voters who return home, Chen said.
National Yang-Ming University student association president Chen Chia-ching (陳佳菁) said that Taiwan has 18.81 million registered voters and 5.11 million of them are aged between 20 and 34, while first-time voters account for 6.8 percent of total voters, making the younger voter group a key player in determining election outcomes.
Asia University student and member of the Independent Youth Front Liu Hui-chung (劉惠中) said about six out of 10 voters aged between 20 and 40 turned out for the last election, but young voter turnout increased to more than 70 percent in the nine-in-one elections in 2014, and the 10 percent increase was what overturned the traditional political territory.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS