Taiwan has officially launched its 2026 local election cycle, a routine but massive democratic exercise that puts every level of local government up for grabs.

• Voting is set for Nov. 28, filling 11,051 local government posts across 8,906 districts.
• Some 19.65 million people are eligible to vote, including about 600,000 first-time voters.
• Nearly 250,000 election workers will be mobilized — over 300,000 if referendums are added to the ballot.
• The election commission is framing the vote as a showcase of Taiwan's democratic resilience to the world.

Outlook: A decision on whether three referendum proposals — caning as punishment, scrapping the nuclear-free homeland policy, and earmarking traffic fines for road safety — will join the ballot is now expected on Aug. 28.