TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Monday's Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) poll showed significant public support for holding referendums alongside general elections, with backing spanning political affiliations and age groups.

The poll, which asked whether referendums should be held with general elections, found that 59% of adults over 20 supported the proposal, while 32% opposed it. This marked a 1.7% increase in support and a 2.6% decrease in opposition compared to an October 2022 poll.

TPOF Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆), who designed and analyzed the poll, pointed out that the opposition's push to reverse changes to the Referendum Act in 2019, which decoupled referendums from general elections, has gained strong public backing. Notably, more than 50% of DPP supporters also favor the change, despite the party’s defense of the status quo.

The poll was conducted Nov. 9-11 using dual-frame random sampling, with 1,083 participants. The margin of error was 2.98%, and the results were adjusted to reflect the interior ministry's latest census data.

The proposed amendment, introduced by KMT Legislator Luo Zhi-qiang (羅智強), would allow referendums alongside general elections if the designated referendum date is close enough to the election, per CNA.

Experts were divided at a hearing for the proposed amendment on Nov. 18. National Cheng Kung University Assistant Professor Wang Yi-fan (王禕梵) warned that combining too many referendums with elections could overwhelm voters, potentially affecting the quality of their decisions.

National Chengchi University Associate Professor Lin Jia-he (林佳和) argued that improving the referendum system was more important than the coupling issue. Lin added that coupling could facilitate more public discussion, but concerns about overburdening voters remain.

University of Taipei Professor Chen Chih-hua (陳志華) cautioned that scheduling referendums too close to general elections—such as in August before November elections—could increase voter fatigue. Former Control Yuan member Chang Kuei-mei (仉桂美) suggested that the issues in 2018, caused by a sudden surge in referendum proposals following the lowered threshold for referendums to reach the voting phase, were about administrative errors rather than system flaws.

CEC Vice Chair Chen Chao-chien (陳朝建) argued that decoupling referendums from elections would help maintain focus on the issues rather than political influences. Chen added that while digital voting alternatives could help, they must be carefully evaluated due to potential security risks.