With nationwide elections less than a week away, campaign officials are warning the public to abide by new election-day rules that prohibit electioneering at polling sites on election day. The newly amended laws prohibit excessive noise and any activity influencing voters.
The election commission in the southern city of Kaohsiung said in a press release on Sunday that it would post signs warning people about the new rules. The signs will demarcate the area around the polls in which the police would write tickets for electioneering. Violators who fail to listen to warnings and continue to engage in illegal activities could be detained, and face up to a year in prison and / or a fine of up to NT$15,000 (over US$480).
Another amended regulation strictly prohibits campaign activities of any kind on election day. The fine for breaking that law has been raised from between NT$10,000-$100,000, to between NT$50,000-$500,000. That’s a raise from between US$320-$3,200 to between US$1,600-$16,000.
Election officials say that in the past, it was common to see people engaging in electioneering at poll sites. That included things like wearing t-shirts and hats bearing candidates’ names and identifying numbers, or passing out drinks to voters. Officials say that those activities will no longer be allowed at polling sites on election day this year.