There is no legal basis to set up special polling stations for people with COVID-19 who are under home isolation, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday.
Political figures have urged the commission to provide options for people with COVID-19 to vote on Nov. 26 after it last week said that people who are under orders to isolate at home would not be allowed out to vote.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus on Tuesday cited practices in other countries.
Japan allowed family members of quarantined voters to cast an absentee ballot for them, South Korea extended voting periods by 90 minutes, with the added time reserved for people in quarantine, and the US allowed anyone to vote in person, but asked people with COVID-19 to wear a mask and practice social distancing, the KMT said.
CEC Deputy Chairman Chen Chao-chien (陳朝建) yesterday said that voting is a basic right, so people can do so as long as they can legally leave their home, but the right to health should also be considered.
People with COVID-19 in Japan, South Korea and the US could vote in previous elections because those nations have mail-in ballots, early voting and specialized polling stations, adaptations based on their domestic laws, Chen said, adding that the regulations in Taiwan are different.
Article 17 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) stipulates that people can only vote at polling stations designated for their household registration, with the only exception being staff at polling stations, who can vote at the polling station they work at, he said.
There is no legal basis to allow mail-in ballots or set up special polling stations, he said.
Some people have asked why special rooms for school-entrance exams can be set up for students with COVID-19, but special polling stations cannot be set up, Chen said.
The answer is: The law does not limit where students are to sit a test based on their household registration, he said.
There are to be 17,649 polling stations and if a special booth were set up at every one, some would be used by many voters with COVID-19, but some might be used by a single voter, which would cause problems with ensuring that ballots are kept secret, he said.
If the Central Epidemic Command Center changes COVID-19 restrictions before the elections, the CEC would cooperate with the latest policies, he added.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS