November 24 is election day in Taiwan. 2018 is a midterm year with a focus on local and county-level seats, meaning the island will effectively hold a grassroots referendum on the past two years' policies. As there are no absentee ballots in Taiwan, Taiwanese from around the island (and around the globe) will return to the towns they're registered in to cast ballots.

Current President Tsai Ing-wen, who leans toward a pro-independence stance but has adopted a pragmatic status quo policy as president, has upped the stakes in recent weeks, playing into Taiwanese fears of a Chinese takeover in Taiwan. In a recent video, Tsai has drawn a clear line ahead of the upcoming elections: pro-China parties are dangerous for Taiwan's democracy.

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