Political development is broad in meaning and scholars have no consensus about its definition, but clearly one of the goals of political development is the establishment of democracy. The political theorist Robert Dahl says that democracy includes among its contents the features of broadening political participation and increasing political competition. There are many methods of political participation and competition, but it is apparent that elections are the most important channel of legal political participation and competition and that election rules are the most important rules of the game. Elections are a method and a means to carry out democracy and achieve democratic ideals, so if democracy is the goal of political development, then elections are the most important factor and motive force behind political development.

Elections actually have multiple functions and are closely related to the continuation and development of the entire political system. A democratic nation can obtain authority and legitimacy only if most government officials are selected through elections, so elections are the major channel of the selection and replacement of political personnel. Elections also have an educational function. Since they teach the public about democratic ideals and build confidence in participatory democracy, elections are an important medium in political socialization. According to the political scientist Maurice Duverger, the rise of modern political parties is inseparably related to universal suffrage. In fact, the operation of political parties and the development and change of the political party system are also related to elections. The relationship between elections and political development in the Taiwan area of the Republic of China can serve as an example for discussion.

Elections have gradually become the most important and the most competitive channel for the selection of political personnel on Taiwan. This channel has three characteristics:

(1) The great majority of elected officials and representatives represent the best that society has to offer, and their selection strengthens the basis of the political system in the public will. Opinion surveys show that elected public officials all believe that their social status has been raised, and that they are satisfied with the roles they play. Even non-Kuomintang figures must utilize the channel of elections to raise their status and reputation. Although fiercely competitive, this channel of selection and replacement assists in social integration.

(2) A gradual increase in the average level of education and expertise of elected officials has helped increase the efficiency and capability of the political system.

(3) Native Taiwanese have a comparatively better chance of serving in public office through elections, while mainlanders often pass through other recruitment channels. The resulting nativization of the political selection process strengthens the representativeness and legitimacy of the government and assists in the stable development of the political system.

During the 1970s and 1980s, as political participation has broadened in scope and political competition has grown more fierce, voters have steadily become more interested in election procedures and results. Political rallies, packed with people, are held more frequently and in more locations, and voters actively read and discuss campaign fliers, billboards, and news reports. The participation rate, the number of candidates, and the proportion of candidates per seat (there are now usually half a dozen per seat) have increased markedly. In sum, during the course of numerous elections held during the past forty years, the citizens of the Taiwan area have gradually developed a participant political culture.

Elections are not only related to power and the distribution of values but are also inseparably related to political participation, political competition, political recruitment, and political socialization. Considering the past forty years of political development in the Republic of China as an example, we can see that elections are also closely related to the maintenance and development of the political system as a whole. The two clearest trends of political development in the Republic of China are democratization (the broadening of political participation) and liberalization (the increase of political competition), and the basic force behind this development is elections. Through elections is the only way political authority can be obtained; through elections is the only legal political competition; through elections is the best method to combine the diverse forces of society—these concepts have gradually become a consensus among the people of the nation. Only by holding elections at fixed and regular intervals in a spirit of fairness, impartiality, and openness can our nation continue to stride down the broad, clear highway of democratic government in its political development.