TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Voters in Taiwan are cautioned against wearing masks that bear the names of candidates as they go to the polls next Saturday (Nov. 26) in local elections.
Lee Chin-yung (李進勇), the chairperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), said Thursday (Nov. 17) putting on a mask printed with the name of a candidate could constitute a violation of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法).
He advised against doing so when asked by the media whether wearing masks promoting candidates is illegal before attending a legislative briefing on the preparedness for the elections. Taiwan will elect 11,023 officials for its 22 municipalities for the next four years, including mayors, magistrates, as well as city and county councilors.
Wearing said masks could be considered an attempt to garner support for a candidate, he said, which is banned on the day of elections.
Campaign activities of all kinds are banned on election days, pursuant to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act. This includes using imagery, footage, or texts to promote specific candidates or political parties, from names, and numbers, to campaign slogans.
However, voters on Nov. 26 are allowed to canvass support for or against the constitutional amendment that seeks to lower the voting age to 18, a referendum taking place concurrently with the local elections, said the CEC.
A mask with the name of a candidate for Taipei City Council. (Taiwan News photo)