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Cabinet approves draft bill for absentee referendum voting
The cabinet has approved a draft bill aimed at allowing people who are in Taiwan to vote outside their constituencies during national referendums. The draft bill was proposed by the Central Election Commission. It applies only to voters in Taiwan who are unable to return to the city or county in which they are registered and does not include Taiwanese citizens living overseas.
According to the draft bill, eligible citizens will have to apply to the Central Election Commission 60 days in advance for absentee voting permission during a referendum.
Election commission head Lee Jin-yong says there are approximately two million employees and students who can take advantage of the new policy, once the bill is passed in the Legislature.
However, Lee says even if lawmakers pass the bill during the current legislative session, absentee voting is still unlikely to be allowed during the 18 December referendums, because poll workers will need at least six months of preparatory training.
