Unconventional elements — such as Line accounts, quick response (QR) codes for Facebook groups and political cartoons — have become common sights on Nantou County’s official election notice as legislative candidates attempt to draw voters’ attention to their platforms in the run-up to the elections next Saturday.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative candidate Ma Wen-chun (馬文君), campaigning for the seat representing the county’s first electoral district, included not only her campaign platform, but also her official Line account and a QR code linking to her Facebook group.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party legislative candidate Wu Cheng-jui (吳承叡), campaigning to represent the county’s second constituency, included a party-produced political cartoon and a QR code linking to more detailed information about the party’s goal and theme.
Photo: Liu Pin-chuan, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party legislative candidate Chen Kuei-yu (陳癸佑), who is also campaigning to represent the second district, only listed his campaign platform, but it is meticulously organized, with each of his 10 policies described using the same number of words, which Chen said would facilitate reading.
Legislator-at-large nominees from the Taiwan People’s Party and the Congress Party Alliance not only included QR codes, but also miniature portraits of their parties’ leaders, hoping to gain supporters by proxy.
The Nantou County Election Commission has issued a reminder to voters, saying that they should refrain from stumping for candidates on election day.
Messages to vote for specific candidates — regardless of whether they are sent by text message, Line, Facebook or other social media — are prohibited, the commission said, adding that voters should not forward such messages on election day.
Regulations prohibiting such actions are to go into effect from midnight on Friday next week, the commission said, adding that infractions are punishable by fines of NT$500,000 to NT$5 million (US$16,609 to US$166,085).
Per Article 61 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), cellphones and photography-related equipment are banned from voting stations and offenders could face one year in prison or be fined up to NT$30,000, it said.
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