Taiwan CEC: People under quarantine can’t cast ballots

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — With local elections around the corner, Taiwanese are worried that those who test positive for COVID and are undergoing quarantine won't be able to cast their ballots. 

In response to media inquiries, the Central Election Commission dismissed on Wednesday (Oct. 26) suggestions for establishing special voting booths or letting infected patients vote first, saying that they are not feasible under current regulations.

The vice chairman of the Central Election Commission, Chen Chao-chien, remarked that as the requirements are not met to justify setting up extra voting booths, the first suggestion is not possible.

Another suggestion is to separate voting times for COVID-positive voters and the non-infected. However, it's also not feasible because there is no guarantee voting times will not overlap between late COVID-positive voters and early non-infected voters at the same booth.

With this observation in mind, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) is attempting to find other ways to resolve this issue. In particular, they wish to shorten quarantine periods from 7 days to 5. However, there are still many other factors to consider, and the CECC will convene with more experts next week to come up with a possible solution.