How Paper Ballots and Public Counts Power Taiwan Democracy

Every few years, schools and temples in Taiwan become busy polling stations. At four o'clock in the afternoon, voting stops and the real show begins. The room quickly changes into a public counting center. Anyone can walk in, watch, and even record videos of the counting.

The process is simple but very careful. Workers lift each paper ballot high to show the red stamp to the crowd. They shout out the candidate's name and number: "Yi-hao, Yi-piao (一號，一票)!" (Number one, one vote!). Another worker marks the tally on a large sheet of paper on the wall. They use the Chinese character 'zheng' (正) to count by fives.

To stop people from worrying about cheating, the ballot boxes are made of simple cardboard. Before voting starts, workers show the empty boxes to the first voters. This open system is why people trust the results. In a world with internet lies and hacking, Taiwan's paper system is its best safety shield.