Taiwan's Local Elections Overshadowed by Simultaneous Referendums

Taiwan's local elections, often referred to as "nine-in-one elections" due to the simultaneous voting for nine different positions, are scheduled for the end of November. Alongside these elections, a series of referendum issues will also be put to national vote. These referendums have been advanced by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), who intend to leverage their legislative majority to initiate them without the usual public signature campaigns. Consequently, six referendums will take place concurrently with the local elections. One prominent referendum issue concerns nuclear energy. The KMT is calling for the abolition of policies aimed at a nuclear-free homeland. Following the Fukushima disaster, Taiwan has been phasing out nuclear power. However, the current administration has proposed restarting two reactors, citing concerns about energy supply stability, especially with the growing demand from the AI boom fueled by its semiconductor industry. The administration claims its long-term goal of phasing out nuclear power remains unchanged, with nuclear energy to be used alongside renewables. Another KMT proposal is for a referendum on capital punishment, an issue that consistently shows high public support in Taiwan, despite recent judicial rulings narrowing its application. An execution was carried out in January 2025, the first in five years. The KMT has framed the ruling party as enacting a de facto moratorium, but a previous attempt for a reinstatement referendum was rejected. Unusually, the KMT also proposes a referendum on implementing caning as a punishment for serious crimes such as child abuse, sexual assault, and fraud. This move is criticized for potentially violating human rights conventions and lacking prior societal demand. The KMT chair had initially tried to remove it from the agenda, but party caucus pushback kept it active. A referendum on medical euthanasia is also on the ballot. While discussed widely in Taiwan in recent years, there is no clear social consensus on this issue, making it a gauge of public views. The TPP has proposed a referendum on traffic safety, aiming to allocate traffic violation fines to local governments for road safety improvements and transportation subsidies. This addresses growing concerns about Taiwan's pedestrian safety, often criticized as a "pedestrian hell," but is also seen by some as a political maneuver concerning budget allocation between central and local governments, with the pan-Blue controlled legislature seeking to cut funding to the DPP-controlled central government. Finally, the TPP has proposed expanding absentee voting within Taiwan. This would allow absentee balloting for national elections, but not from overseas, which is highly contentious due to fears of Chinese interference. The proposal targets citizens who do not reside in their registered voting districts, as landlords often discourage tenants from updating their household registration. This proposal has drawn criticism from the Central Election Commission chair for potentially causing chaos. The KMT and DPP may be hesitant to change the system they have built party machines around, while the TPP, as a newer party, might benefit from shaking up the electoral system. The KMT likely hopes to replicate its success from the 2018 local elections, where referendums played a key role in their victories, though that year also saw confusion and long voting lines due to the number of referendum questions. Legislation is proposed to consolidate multiple referendum questions onto a single ballot to avoid such issues.