‘My responsibility’: why overseas Taiwanese are returning to cast their votes
- Taiwan doesn’t allow absentee voting, meaning thousands will head back to the island for next weekend’s elections
- One student visiting from the US says she’s worried the wrong choice will make it easier for Beijing to ‘try to take over’
There are about 2 million Taiwanese living overseas, according to Taipei’s Overseas Community Affairs Council, with the largest population – about half – living in the United States.
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Heidi Dai, a 29-year-old PhD student studying music at the University of California San Diego, returned to Taiwan in late December. Nervous that flights would sell out during the elections rush, she booked her ticket before she had even left Taiwan to start her first semester in California last autumn.
“In the next couple of years, I won’t be in Taiwan – I’ll be in the US. So that means if there’s any kind of political campaign or activism needed here, I cannot be here,” Dai said.
“So I feel like it is my responsibility to come back here and vote in the presidential election just to ensure we can pick a more adequate candidate that can keep Taiwan in a firm political position.”
Dai plans to vote for William Lai Ching-te, the current vice-president and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate.
