On First Registration Day, Yunlin County Executive and Nine Council Candidates Enter Race

Ten candidates entered Yunlin County’s 2026 local election on the first day of registration, but Tsai Chia-chun’s ceremony drew the most attention. The 27-year-old candidate for a mountain Indigenous council seat arrived at the county election commission with his parents, friends, supporters and elders from several tribes.

The elders wore traditional clothing and offered blessings outside the commission, creating a lively scene that attracted onlookers. Tsai said his reason for running was to use a council position to seek more resources for Indigenous people and secure more practical support and care for Yunlin’s Indigenous communities.

The new council structure includes two additional Indigenous seats, one for plains Indigenous people and one for mountain Indigenous people. Tsai is the son of Tsai Yung-fu, a sitting Yunlin County councilor affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party.

The first-day registrations included county executive candidate Wu Ping-hui. Council candidates included Liao Chang-chun in District 1; Chen Yi-chen, Huang Mei-yao and Wei Shun-hsing in District 3; Kuo Pei-hsuan and Lin Yi-feng in District 5; Lu Chi-na for the plains Indigenous seat; and Kao Ying-tsui and Tsai, who uses the Indigenous name Pisaw, for the mountain Indigenous seat.

Voting is scheduled for Nov. 28, 2026. Candidate registration runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. Yunlin will elect 686 officials, including one county executive, 45 councilors, 20 township and city heads, 228 township and city representatives, and 392 village and neighborhood chiefs.

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My original reason for running is to use the role of a councilor to seek more resources for our people, so that Yunlin's Indigenous communities can receive more practical support and care.