It would be against the law for a household registration officer to visit the home of a recall petitioner to confirm their signature, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said today, after a Hualien County resident raised concern about the request.
A Threads user commented on a post about a recall campaign in Hualien, saying an employee from the county’s Household Registration Office came to their door yesterday to ask whether they had personally signed a recall petition.
The official then asked the person to sign another form for confirmation, they said.
Photo: CNA
Democratic Progressive Party Hualien County Councilor Hu Jen-shun (胡仁順) said he had received complaints from two residents about household registration officers visiting their homes to ask about recall petition signatures.
The county government’s actions have created fear among residents, Hu said.
The CEC transferred the petitions to local election officials to verify their contents, Hu said.
The law states that a “notice” should be sent to confirm details, not that officials should call, visit or otherwise directly contact signatories, he added.
According to a CEC notice sent to Hualien officials yesterday, if there is a mistake in a signatory’s name, ID number or household registration, or if the information is unclear, the local election committee should ask the household registration office to check its records.
Any questions about the validity of a signature or stamp should be checked by election officials, not the household registration office, it said.
The law requires that election officials then mail a notice to the signatory if there is concern that someone else may have signed the petition using their name, it added.
This would mean that a household registration officer visiting a signatory’s home would be illegal, it said.
The Hualien County Election Commission said its investigation found no evidence of overstepping authority, but added that there is “room for discretion” in how the situation was approached.
As requested by the CEC, officials sent petitions to the county’s Household Registration Office for verification, it said, adding that confidentiality was maintained.
The Hualien County Government said that the situation has created a negative impression, and vowed to improve.
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