Taiwan's Future at Stake in Presidential Election... 20 Million Voters Begin Casting Ballots

Voting for the Taiwan presidential election began at 8 a.m. on the 11th. Citizens are entering the polling station set up at Xiulang Elementary School in Yonghe District, New Taipei City to cast their votes. Photo by Park Sun-mi

[Asia Economy Xinbei (Taiwan) = Correspondent Park Sun-mi] On the 11th, voting began across Taiwan to elect the President, Vice President, and Legislative Yuan members (National Assembly members).

According to the Taiwan Election Commission, the presidential election voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 11th. It will be conducted at 17,226 polling stations nationwide, and the results are expected to be announced late at night on the 11th.

The number of eligible voters aged 20 and above for this election is 19.31 million.

Although the latest opinion polls showed a slight lead for the incumbent President, the final outcome of this election is expected to be significantly influenced by voter turnout. Taiwan's presidential election turnout has shown a declining trend: 82.7% in 2000, 80.3% in 2004, 76.3% in 2008, 74.4% in 2012, and 66% in 2016. However, this year, the election enthusiasm is stronger than in previous years, making a higher turnout likely. Since the candidates supported by the younger, middle-aged, and elderly groups are clearly divided, the key variable will be how many voters from each generation participate in the election.

In particular, this election is held amid intensified pressure from China on Taiwan to accept the "one country, two systems" policy, due to the ongoing Hong Kong protests from last year to the present. Depending on who is elected President, Taiwan's policy stance toward China is expected to change.

About 25% of all voters are young people aged 35 or younger. Voters aged 20 to 23, who have just gained voting rights, also account for 6% of the total. In the three presidential elections held between 2008 and 2016, the voter turnout for the 20-35 age group was only 50-60%, while the turnout for those aged 65 and above was over 80%. However, with increased interest among young people in this election, their participation rate is expected to rise.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.