The Executive Yuan today passed draft amendments to the Referendum Act and the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act to allow absentee voting from anywhere inside the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Officials expect absentee voting, or voting from outside one's city or county of residence, to save citizens the time and money required to return home to vote and greatly facilitate political participation.
The two amendments, drafted by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), have been sent to the Legislature for deliberation.
Premier Jiang Yi-huah said that because referenda and presidential and vice presidential elections are national in nature, the Central Election Commission (CEC) and MOI agreed after years of discussion that it would be best that absentee voting be introduced beginning with these elections. Jiang called the agencies' decision "an exceptionally pragmatic choice" and expressed hope that the amendment swiftly pass the Legislature and the new system be quickly established.
Jiang said the MOI and CEC's policy—which is in fact transfer voting, or voting at a polling place in another constituency on Election Day—is more secure and feasible than the other publicly discussed alternatives. Some members of the public have expressed hope for postal voting or allowing ROC diplomats to vote from abroad, which are currently employed by progressive countries. Since Taiwan is just beginning to implement absentee voting, in order to avoid doubts, transfer voting will be used in the initial stage, he said.
"I hope this system will make it more convenient for people to vote, expand political participation and advance Taiwan's democracy," he said.
Jiang instructed the MOI and CEC to support their plan with actions such as conducting campaigns to fully explain the associated measures and their significance to society and stepping up communication with each legislative caucus to push the amendments through quickly.