ELECTION 2024/KMT lawmakers pledge to push for absentee voting in new Legislature

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) Several opposition Kuomintang (KMT) legislators said Wednesday they will introduce a bill to permit absentee voting after the newly elected Legislative Yuan is inaugurated on Feb. 1, to better protect people's right to vote.

In a news conference held at the Legislative Yuan, KMT lawmakers Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇), Jessica Chen (陳玉珍), and Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), as well as Legislator-elect Liao Wei-hsiang (廖偉翔) declared their determination to make absentee voting possible in the new Legislature.

They will jointly introduce an absentee voting bill, according to the re-elected and newly-elected lawmakers, who also mentioned the possibility of the new KMT caucus bringing forward its version of the bill.

During the press event, Lai described the establishment of an absentee voting system as imperative and crucial to deepening Taiwan's democracy, and called for cross-party support.

Wang said that if an absentee ballot system is implemented, approximately 1.9 million to 2 million people who work or study away from where their household registration is will be eligible to cast their ballots in elections.

She cited data from the 2021 population consensus released by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics as saying.

Current election laws stipulate that Taiwanese voters must cast their ballots in designated polling stations on Election Day.

A lack of an absentee voting system in Taiwan deprives those unable to return home and vote, Wang said, adding that under the existing law, many people simply give up on the idea of casting their ballots.

The issue should have been addressed through legislation long ago, she said.

Echoing Wang, Chen, who represents the outlying island of Kinmen, said a large number of the island's residents live or study outside their home regions and the current voting rules make it inconvenient for them to cast ballots.

As such, turnout for the presidential and legislative elections as well as local government elections in Kinmen has been relatively low in recent years, Chen said, calling for government initiatives to protect the voting rights of islanders.

Liao also pledged to throw his support behind an absentee voting bill after his sworn in as a legislator.

In the Jan. 13 legislative election, the KMT won the most seats of any party in the 113-member Legislative Yuan with 52, edging out the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which had 51, while the smaller Taiwan People's Party secured eight.