One of Taiwan’s main opposition parties has put forward a bill that would make absentee voting easier during national referendums. The party in question, the Taiwan People’s Party, says the bill is needed to guarantee people’s voting rights while the global COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Party lawmakers Jang Chyi-lu and Lai Hsiang-ling say they hope the bill can pass into law by the end of the year, in time for referendums in December.
Taiwan will hold referendums on four questions on December 18. The votes were originally set to take place on August 28, but the Central Election Commission pushed the date back after Taiwan suffered an outbreak of COVID-19.
The lawmakers say there is no guarantee that it will be safe to hold the vote in December. That’s why they say Taiwan should make adequate provisions for absentee voting.
Jang says the party looked at methods for absentee voting in other countries and identified five key procedures. Those are voting at a different location, ballot drop box voting, postal voting, proxy voting, and online voting.
Jang says allowing voting at a different location is the bill’s main focus. Right now, Taiwanese law stipulates that voters have to return to their home county in order to cast their ballot. The bill would allow people to apply to vote at their workplaces.
Lawmaker Lai Hsiang-ling says Taiwan is lagging behind other countries when it comes to allowing absentee voting. She says she hopes multi-party support for the measures will mean people can safely exercise their democratic rights in December.