While absentee voting is a global trend, implementing it for the local elections in November would be a disaster at this stage, as it would involve complex logistics, Central Election Commission (CEC) chair nominee Michael You (游盈隆) said today.
The biggest challenge in implementing absentee voting is feasibility, while foreign interference is a secondary concern, You said in response to concerns that it could lead to ballot tampering or Chinese interference.
The Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration and Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes committees met today to review nominations to the CEC.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) asked You if domestic absentee voting could be properly implemented and how much time would it take to prepare.
The question is currently making its way through the legislature, after the Taiwan People’s Party on Dec. 12 last year proposed a bill to enable absentee voting.
The CEC would put its full efforts into carrying out the legislation according to the law if it is passed, You said.
Absentee voting is a global trend and many people in Taiwan feel it is the right direction for the nation, he said.
“I definitely see it as progressive thinking,” he added.
However, practical realities cannot be ignored, and looking at the current election system, implementing absentee voting would involve extremely complex logistics, You said.
Implementing it for this year’s local elections in November “would definitely be a disaster at this stage,” he said.
The CEC previously said that implementing absentee voting for the upcoming elections would result in nearly 9,000 different ballots and risk tarnishing Taiwan’s globally respected elections.
Taiwan has never implemented absentee voting, so it is necessary to first conduct comprehensive research and consider all factors before proceeding, You said.
The CEC’s current step-by-step approach is feasible, but implementing comprehensive absentee voting for the upcoming local elections is “too bold, risky and foolhardy,” he said.
It would be better to begin with public referendums, gradually gain experience, address public concerns and move forward in stages, he added.
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