Five Decades of Photos on Taiwan’s Democratic Development

This photo was taken at the vote counting center at the gymnasium of the former Taipei Physical Education College at the time of the 1980 supplementary election for central-level representatives. Election workers are methodically opening and counting the ballots.

—“People Go to the Polls” (January 1981)

When polling stations closed at 5 p.m. on December 20, 1969, a total of 6.69 million people had voted nationwide in the supplementary election. The ballots were brought to township markets to be opened and counted, after which they were sent to district election offices to be rechecked, reviewed, retabulated, and registered. This photo was taken at the general election headquarters in Taipei City’s Shijian Hall (now the Open Lab Multimedia Center of the National Central Library).

(photo by Feng Guoxiong)

During the 2014 local elections, real-time vote tallies kept viewers fixed on the results unfolding live on television. (photo by Chen Mei-ling)

—“Ballots Cast and Counted” (December 2014)

For the 2014 local elections (known as the nine-in-one elections), there were a total of 19,762 registered candidates, setting a new record. (photo by Kent Chuang)

—“Ballots Cast and Counted” (December 2014)

This photo shows a campaign rally in Taichung for Kuomintang candidates Lee Teng-hui and Lien Chan during the presidential election held in 1996. (photo by Li Pei-hui)

Kuomintang candidate Lee Teng-hui waves to the crowd during a campaign rally in Taoyuan County for Taiwan's first direct presidential election, in 1996. (photo by Li Pei-hui)

On February 27, 1996, Democratic Progressive Party presidential and vice-presidential candidates Peng Ming-min and Frank Hsieh took part in a parade in Kaohsiung City commemorating the February 28 Incident of 1947. (photo by Ze Zhijiang)

Candidate Lu Hsueh-tu, running in Taipei County’s Third Constituency in the 2001 Legislative Yuan elections, held this campaign rally against a backdrop featuring Sun Yat-sen and the late President Chiang Ching-kuo. (photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

Democratic Progressive Party candidates Lai Ching-te (second left) and Hsiao Bi-khim (right) won the 2024 presidential election. It was the first time since direct presidential elections began in 1996 that the same party had won three consecutive terms. (photo by Chin Hung-hao)

DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen (right, with hand raised) emerged victorious from the 2016 presidential election. This marked the third peaceful transfer of power in Taiwan’s political history. The photo shows outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou (left) and Tsai greeting the crowd at the May 20, 2016 inauguration ceremony. (photo by Kent Chuang)

—“Using Our Ballots to Choose the Future” (February 2016)

In 2000, in Taiwan’s first peaceful transfer of power between political parties, the torch was passed from one graduate of National Taiwan University to another, highlighting how alumni of this prestigious school worked together to build democracy in Taiwan. (photo by Diago Chiu)

—“Cradle of Taiwan’s Best and Brightest: National Taiwan University” (November 2003)