Taiwan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) Chair Li Chin-yung strongly advocates for holding separate referendumsapart from elections. On Monday, he emphasized that combining the two leads to logistical difficulties and political complications. Li pointed to the 2018 local elections as a clear example of the chaos caused by coupling votes.
He explained that in 2018, voters faced 10 referendum questions alongside city and county elections. This mix created serious delays in counting results. Therefore, since 2019, Taiwan adopted a system to hold separate referendums from elections. According to Li, this system has run much more smoothly since its implementation.
Li also warned that when referendums coincide with elections, they tend to become proxy battles for political parties. This situation often overshadows the actual referendum issues. By contrast, holding separate referendums allows voters to focus on the specific matters without party influence. He believes this setup better reflects the public’s true will.
Experts support Li’s view. Soochow University Law Professor Su Tzu-chiao argues that forcing high voter turnout to pass referendums actually undermines their purpose. Many mature democracies also prefer to hold referendums separately from elections to ensure more thoughtful decisions. Similarly, National Chengchi University Associate Professor Lin Chia-ho criticized Taiwan’s focus on national referendums rather than local ones and pointed out that referendum questions receive too little deliberation time.
On the other hand, National Sun Yat-sen University Professor Jang Chyi-lu suggested administrative improvements, such as electronic voting, could ease the burden of coupling votes. He claimed that voter choices on referendums do not always follow party lines. Yet, Lin presented data showing turnout often reflects mobilization by major parties.
Former CEC Chair Chen In-chin attributed the 2018 election chaos to Taiwan’s rigid electoral framework. He cited factors like mandatory civil servant election staff and strict procedures, which limit flexibility. Additionally, many referendum proposals arrive late, leaving little preparation time.
The New Power Party noted that major parties like the KMT and DPP have switched their stance on coupling referendums depending on who is in power. In summary, Li’s call to keep separate referendums highlights the need for clearer, more manageable, and less politicized voting processes in Taiwan.
