We now have an anonymous donor who has offered a $3,000 MATCHING donation if we raise another $3,000, above the first $910 raised, it will be doubled to $6,000.

THEN we will be more than halfway to our fundraising goal of $10,000!

SCAN the QR code below to LEARN MORE about this campaign.

We are raising funds to bring Talking Taiwan, to Taiwan in November to cover the upcoming 9-in-1 local elections and to Show What Democracy Looks Like in Taiwan.

THIS YEAR MARKS 30 YEARS...

Since Taiwan's first direct presidential election in 1996!

Taiwan is consistently ranked as on of the freest countries in Asia and typically has an over 70% voter turnout at elections!

We want to tell the story behind Taiwan’s young, vibrant democracy and show the enthusiasm people have when it comes to getting their candidates elected and participating in voting. After all, Talking Taiwan is about telling the human stories that make the topics we cover personally relatable, and what better way to do that than by creating content that showcases Taiwan’s unique election culture?

The perfect opportunity to do so is coming up in November. On November 28th, Taiwan will be holding its local elections, which take place every four years. Mayors and city councilors in the special municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, as well as magistrates, mayors, councilors, town chiefs, and town representatives in the other 16 counties and county-level cities, will be selected in the local elections.

In November, Talking Taiwan is planning to show what democracy looks like in Taiwan by covering Taiwanese election culture, with its dramatic, colorful, highly spirited outdoor rallies that are mini-productions in and of themselves, and the competitive fervor with which political candidates campaign, which has led to some very creative campaign and fundraising tactics. People's loyalty to their political parties is a team sport.

Taiwan’s democracy has been extremely hard-won, and it’s developed its own distinct election culture. We believe that other democracies could learn from Taiwan.

The first $10,000 raised will help make this project possible for our two-person team by covering the following:

Anything raised over $10,000 will cover:

Summary of what Talking Taiwan will accomplish through the This is What Democracy Looks Like in Taiwan Tour

1. Join the overseas election tour group to observe the November elections. This overseas election delegation group has been around and encouraging overseas Taiwanese to participate in Taiwan’s democratic development since Taiwan’s first direct presidential election in 1996!

2. Create an episode about the overseas election tour group

3. Witness and showcase Taiwan’s extremely transparent ballot counting procedures-- paper ballots are counted out one by one, read out loud, and displayed to attending public witnesses.

4. Capturing Taiwanese election culture on video (rallies, political campaigns, ballot counting procedures) to share on our growing YouTube channel and social media

AND if we raise another $8,000 for a total of $18,000 Talking Taiwan will:

5. Produce 4 episodes related to Taiwan’s local elections and election culture

6. Host an in-person live podcast event in Taiwan where we will interview Taiwan-based guests

Your support will help us share the story of democracy in action in Taiwan and bring this unique election coverage to listeners around the world. If this project speaks to you, please consider donating and sharing our fundraiser.