Taiwan's Central Election Commission on Aug. 26 strongly opposed an opposition-backed Referendum Act amendment that would print several referendum questions on a single ballot, and urged lawmakers to hold off. It was responding to a possible third reading of the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Article 21 revision as early as Aug. 28, fewer than 100 days before the Nov. 28 local elections. At an extra plenary session on Aug. 27, where the two parties had aimed to pass it, the legislature set the amendment aside after cross-party talks hosted by Legislative Speaker 
Han Kuo-yu, PTS reported.
What does the commission object to? Commission chairman Michael You listed 11 problems, including a law that could not be carried out and a risk of errors in running the vote. He said the change could severely affect the November elections, the Taipei Times reported. The commission said Taiwan's hand count, with each ballot called aloud, differs entirely from US electronic tallying, and that a combined ballot would push counting past what local poll workers can handle and make public monitoring harder. It also warned that stamp smudges and ink transferred when ballots are folded could sharply raise invalid votes, and that shrunken text might not fit visually impaired voters' aids.
How did the opposition respond? KMT legislator Lai Shyh-bao said direct democratic rights cannot be vetoed over technical problems, adding that the opposition had already cut back to three referendums and that the US puts several measures on one ballot. "If counting runs until midnight, then it runs until midnight," Lai said. Hsu Yu-chen, a senior KMT caucus official, said the commission should be reviewed over how it trains its counting staff.
Responding to Lai, You said he saw the matter too simply, since a single ballot would bring little benefit with only one to three referendums, CNA reported. Adopting it without the scanning equipment, electronic counting and staff training behind the US system would turn "good intentions into bad ideas," he said.
What happened next? KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi said implementation would likely be set for next year to give the commission time to prepare, so the change would not apply to this year's local elections. TPP caucus whip Chen Ching-lung said his caucus's version says the commission "may," rather than "shall," print multiple referendums on one ballot, giving it more flexibility. You said he had waited two hours and hoped for a good result, "just like when a typhoon comes and the weather is unpredictable."
Figures referenced: Han Kuo-yu. — JudgeMarket.
