CONCERNS ABOUT the means by which the upcoming referendum on marriage equality might become rigged have been raised with recent revelations regarding televised debates on referendum questions to be organized by the Central Election Commission (CEC). It has been found that anti-gay groups opposed to marriage equality such as the Protect the Family Alliance have taken to registering as pro-marriage equality groups to stand for the televised debates, as a means of rigging the debate.
According to the Referendum Act, it is required that five televised debates be held on any public referendum question, which are to be organized by the CEC. Each debate will cost 1 million NTD. As there are currently ten referendum proposals set to be voted on in 2018 elections, a total of fifty televised debates will be held on these ten referendum proposals.
Three questions currently up for debate pertain to LGBTQ issues, including three questions regarding gay marriage, gender equality question, and whether the state has an obligation to provide for the common welfare of members of the LGBTQ community. As such, 15 debates will be held on these issues, but it was recently discovered for nine of those fifteen debates, anti-gay groups have posed as LGBTQ advocacy groups in order to register in these televised debates. The clear aim of anti-gay groups, then, would be to rig these debates in such a way to make the LGBTQ community look bad.
While the attempts of anti-gay groups to rig the debating process did not go unnoticed by Taiwanese civil society, it remains to be seen if the CEC will take action to try and ensure a fair debate is had on the issue.
林昶佐：愛家公投辯論出現假反方 中選會應補救
（中央社記者陳俊華、李淑華台北31日電）時代力量立委林昶佐今天說，中選會針對愛家公投3案電視辯論會反方代表抽籤，其中3場竟由反同背景的「假反方」參加辯論，他要求中選會應給清楚交代、提出補救措施。
中選會副主委兼發言人陳朝建表示，公投個案正反方的主張，在公投成案依法公告之後，中選會作為法定獨立機關，依法辦理選務及公投事務，基於客觀中立的法定要求，依法循例不就個案及其正反方等意見予以評論。
不過，陳朝建說，詳細情形為何，以及有關所掌公投事務的辦理，含公投意見發表會的場次安排等，會予以瞭解並且會依法妥處。
年底公投在即，中央選舉委員會依法對公投案每案舉辦5場全國性公民投票意見發表或辯論會，反對意見者依法可設辦事處。中選會昨天針對「愛家公投」3案，舉辦發表會或辯論會的抽籤。陳朝建今天說，相關的場次安排等各項資訊，預定今天在中選會官網公開。
林昶佐上午舉行記者會時表示，針對下一代幸福聯盟愛家公投3案，中選會總計將辦15場電視辯論會，昨天舉行反對方代表抽籤，其中3場將由反同背景的「假反方」參加辯論，竟然有這麼荒謬的事情，是打擊公投實現直接民主的精神，希望中選會清楚說明、提出補救措施。
林昶佐表示，網路上有人說同運團體應多設立反方辦公室來增加籤運，但他認為讓不同意見交鋒，呈現出事實給社會大眾才是最重要的，若公投前，正、反方都在準備籌備「對方的辦公室」，全世界的公投沒有這種事，呼籲反同團體「不要做這種無恥的事」，不要讓台灣民主成為全世界的笑話。
出席記者會的台灣伴侶權益推動聯盟理事長許秀雯表示，成立的愛家公投反對意見辦公室的兩位領銜人，反同背景非常清楚，伴侶盟要嚴正抗議，認為中選會沒有盡到主管機關基本的審查義務，中選會說沒辦法審查，是依法行政，而反方代表只要依法申請、連署人數夠就必須讓他們成立，「這個說法有道理嗎？」