Reports of a poor showing in Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou’s (郭台銘) signature drive to appear on next year’s presidential ballot are “grievously misestimated,” a spokesman for the campaign said on Monday.
To qualify for the ballot on Jan. 13, Gou and running mate Tammy Lai (賴佩霞) must receive at least 289,667 signatures, or 1.5 percent of eligible voters in the previous presidential election, before Nov. 2.
About two weeks since beginning its drive on Sept. 20, Gou's campaign has yet to release any data on how many signatures it has collected.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
Some local media have reported that it has gathered fewer than 100,000 signatures, with one major location only receiving two in an hour and a half.
Gou campaign spokesman Huang Shih-hsiu (黃士修) said that reporters estimate numbers by extrapolating from limited observations.
However, this method can only provide a rough estimate, as every location and time of day is different, he said.
“Although I cannot say it is disinformation, the number is grievously misestimated,” he added.
For instance, if a sample observation is taken during the afternoon rest period, it would result in an underestimate, as opposed to an observation taken just after the work day, which tends to be a busier time, he said.
The campaign is also using different methods to collect signatures, Huang said.
Apart from going in person to a campaign office, supporters may also sign with one of a number of grassroots organizations assisting the campaign, he added.
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