Taiwan 2026 Local Elections Explained
An authoritative briefing for foreign correspondents, diplomats, and international researchers. Covering the 11,051 contested offices, ballot numbers for all Six Special Municipalities, statutory campaign rules, and InfoMiner's big data sentiment monitoring methodology.
Why Taiwan's 2026 Midterm Races Matter Globally
On Saturday, November 28, 2026, out of Taiwan's population of ~23.4 million (Ministry of the Interior, 2026 demographic estimate), approximately 19.65 million eligible voters will cast ballots in the island's quadrennial "Nine-in-One" local elections. Involving 11,051 elective offices across all 22 administrative divisions, this election represents Taiwan's largest democratic mobilization between presidential cycles.
For President Lai Ching-te's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the vote serves as the first comprehensive nationwide referendum since taking office in May 2024 amid a divided Legislative Yuan. For the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), holding and expanding their municipal dominance is vital for rebuilding political momentum heading into the 2028 presidential campaign.
Beyond partisan balance, Taiwan's local leaders command immense executive authority over infrastructure, urban zoning, water and energy allocations, and municipal incentives that directly impact global tech supply chains—including TSMC wafer fabrication clusters across Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
Key Electoral Fast Facts
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Election Day: Saturday, Nov 28, 2026.
Polls open 08:00 to 16:00 (Statutory voting hours under Article 57 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act). Public paper counting begins immediately upon poll closing. -
11,051 Total Seats: Promulgated by Taiwan's Central Election Commission (CEC) and reported by Focus Taiwan.
Breakdown: 6 municipal mayors, 16 magistrates/city mayors, 919 councilors (381 municipal, 538 county/city), 204 township/district chiefs, 2,126 citizen representatives, and 7,780 village chiefs. -
Lot Drawing Completed (Oct 27): Candidate ballot placement lot draws held across all 22 cities and counties as reported by Focus Taiwan.
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10-Day Polling Blackout (Nov 18, 00:00): Under Article 53, Paragraph 2 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act, publishing or quoting polls is strictly prohibited, punishable by administrative fines of NT$500,000 to NT$5,000,000 (Article 110, Paragraph 5).
The Six Special Municipalities (六都) Mayoral Races
Taiwan's Six Special Municipalities (Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung) account for nearly 70% of the island's 23.5 million population. The table below presents the symmetrical head-to-head lineup between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Kuomintang (KMT):
Taipei City
National Capital · Special Municipality
Puma Shen (Shen Pao-yang)
Chiang Wan-an
Key Contest Dynamic: Incumbent Mayor Chiang Wan-an (KMT) campaigns for re-election against lawmaker Puma Shen (DPP).
New Taipei City
Most Populous Municipality (~4.0M Residents, Est.)
Su Chiao-hui
Lee Shu-chuan
Key Contest Dynamic: With incumbent Mayor Hou Yu-ih reaching his statutory two-term limit, Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (KMT) competes with lawmaker Su Chiao-hui (DPP).
Taoyuan City
Aerotropolis & Manufacturing Innovation Hub
Huang Shih-chieh
Simon Chang (Chang San-cheng)
Key Contest Dynamic: Incumbent Mayor Simon Chang (KMT) campaigns for re-election against former lawmaker Huang Shih-chieh (DPP).
Taichung City
Central Taiwan Regional Metropolis
Ho Hsin-chun
Johnny Chiang (Chiang Chi-chen)
Key Contest Dynamic: With incumbent Mayor Lu Shiow-yen reaching her statutory two-term limit, Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Johnny Chiang (KMT) competes with lawmaker Ho Hsin-chun (DPP).
Tainan City
Southern Technology & Cultural Center
Chen Ting-fei
Hsieh Lung-chieh
Key Contest Dynamic: With incumbent Mayor Huang Wei-che reaching his statutory two-term limit, lawmaker Chen Ting-fei (DPP) competes with lawmaker Hsieh Lung-chieh (KMT).
Kaohsiung City
Southern Industrial & Seaport Metropolis
Lai Jui-lung
Ko Chih-en
Key Contest Dynamic: With incumbent Mayor Chen Chi-mai reaching his statutory two-term limit, lawmaker Lai Jui-lung (DPP) competes with lawmaker Ko Chih-en (KMT).
Quick Reference: Six Municipalities Symmetrical Ballot Summary
| Municipality | DPP Candidate | DPP Ballot # | KMT Candidate | KMT Ballot # | Current Governing Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei City (臺北市) | Puma Shen (沈伯洋) | No. 3 | Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) | No. 5 | KMT Incumbent Defending |
| New Taipei City (新北市) | Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) | No. 1 | Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) | No. 3 | KMT Open Seat (Hou Yu-ih Term-Limited) |
| Taoyuan City (桃園市) | Huang Shih-chieh (黃世杰) | No. 1 | Simon Chang (張善政) | No. 2 | KMT Incumbent Defending |
| Taichung City (臺中市) | Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) | No. 1 | Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) | No. 3 | KMT Open Seat (Lu Shiow-yen Term-Limited) |
| Tainan City (臺南市) | Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) | No. 3 | Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) | No. 2 | DPP Open Seat (Huang Wei-che Term-Limited) |
| Kaohsiung City (高雄市) | Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) | No. 5 | Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) | No. 3 | DPP Open Seat (Chen Chi-mai Term-Limited) |
Our Public Opinion Methodology (聲量與情緒監測方法)
InfoMiner Election Lab is powered by LargitData Ltd. (大數軟體有限公司), an enterprise intelligence firm specializing in election disinformation and digital sentiment monitoring in Taiwan. We passively aggregate millions of public digital footprints daily (across public social forums, digital news portals, and community comments) to analyze the real-time social sentiment driving Taiwan's democratic discourse.
1. Multi-Platform Ingestion
Continuous passive ingestion of public data across mainstream Taiwanese news websites, YouTube channels, Facebook pages/groups, Threads, PTT Bulletin Board (Gossiping, HatePolitics), and Dcard.
2. Taiwanese NLP & Slang Parsing
Fine-tuned Traditional Chinese Natural Language Processing (NLP) models specifically adapted to Taiwanese political vernacular, phonetic abbreviations, party puns, and candidate nicknames.
3. Tri-Polar Sentiment Labeling
Every verified mention is classified into Positive, Neutral, or Negative polarity with contextual confidence scoring, extracting stance orientation on contentious policy topics (urban renewal, energy, transit).
Key Metrics Defined
Formula: (Candidate Mentions ÷ Total Mentions in Race) × 100%
Measures the candidate's air-war volume and attention dominance in the online public square.
Formula: Positive Rate (%) − Negative Rate (%)
Quantifies net public goodwill versus controversy exposure. A positive net score indicates favorable coverage outweighing criticism.
Methodological Matrix: Social Big Data vs. Traditional Telephone Polling
| Analytical Dimension | InfoMiner AI Social Sentiment | Traditional Telephone Polling |
|---|---|---|
| Data Source & Sampling | Organic public social discourse, forum threads, news comments | Random Digit Dialing (RDD) via landline and/or mobile quotas |
| Temporal Granularity | Real-time, continuous 24/7 stream with minute-level event detection | Static snapshot reflecting 2–3 days of telephone fieldwork |
| What It Measures | Air-war mobilization, narrative momentum, emotional intensity | Stated voting intention among reachable respondents |
| Blind Spots | Underrepresents digitally inactive voters and offline patronage networks | Lower cell-only response rates among younger demographic cohorts |
Key Dates & Election Timeline
Statutory timetable governed by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Taiwan:
Ballot Lot Draw
Lot drawing concluded across all 22 divisions under Article 34 of the Election Act (rescheduled from Oct 23 due to typhoon).
Mayoral Campaigning
15-day campaign period begins for Special Municipal Mayors under Article 40, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Election Act.
Polling Blackout
Statutory 10-day poll publishing blackout under Article 53, Paragraph 2 of the Election Act (fines up to NT$5,000,000).
Election Day
Voting 08:00–16:00 (Article 57 of the Election Act). Open-precinct paper counting begins immediately.
Inauguration
Newly elected mayors, magistrates, and councilors take oath of office under Article 83-1 of the Local Government Act.
For International Correspondents & Academic Researchers
Are you covering Taiwan's 2026 local elections for an international news outlet, academic institution, or foreign policy think tank? InfoMiner Election Lab offers verified public sentiment datasets, localized candidate profiles, and custom analytical briefings.
https://election.infominer.io/en/.