2022 Taiwanese constitutional referendum

There were several previous efforts and discussions to lower the voting age and related minimum ages from 20 to 18.[1] Successful incremental moves included a set of amendments to the Referendum Act passed in December 2017, one of which permitted eighteen-year-olds to vote in non-constitutional referendums.[2][3] In August 2020, the Executive Yuan formally proposed that the age of majority be lowered from 20 to 18.[4] Subsequently, the Legislative Yuan approved related amendments to the Civil Code of the Republic of China in December 2020.[5][6][7]

Previous attempts to lower the voting age specifically included a bill proposed by the Kuomintang legislative caucus in March 2020.[8] On 18 January 2022, the legislature's Constitutional Amendment Committee reviewed and passed a bill jointly sponsored by the Democratic Progressive Party, New Power Party, and Taiwan People's Party.[9] The referendum was necessitated after the Legislative Yuan voted 109–0 on 25 March 2022 to lower the voting age and the age to stand for election to 18.[10][11] Four legislators did not attend the vote.[12] Eight youth rights groups and nongovernmental organizations formed a coalition to advocate for the bill's passage.[13] Supporters of the bill had used the hashtag #votefor18 when discussing the bill online.[14] On the day of the vote, a number of high school students gathered outside the Legislative Yuan, cheering when the bill passed.[12]

Suffrage is a right guaranteed in the Constitution of the Republic of China to citizens above the age of 20, and the right to stand for election is guaranteed to citizens above the age of 23 (except in cases outlined in the Constitution and the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act).[15][16] Per the Constitution's Additional Articles, after a vote for a constitutional amendment has passed with at least a three-fourths supermajority of a three-fourths quorum in the Legislative Yuan, the amendment must be voted on via referendum within a three-month period six months after the public announcement.[10][17] Half of all eligible voters (~9.65 million) must vote for the referendum proposal for it to pass.[10][11] Although the Referendum Act allows citizens older than 18 to vote on referendums, citizens younger than 20 cannot participate in the voting age referendum because the voting age for referendums regarding constitutional amendments is outlined in the Constitution.[11][18]

Since the Additional Articles of the Constitution were last amended in 2005, this is the first time ratification of a constitutional amendment will be attempted via referendum.[19]

The Central Election Commission announced on 15 April 2022 that the referendum would be held concurrently with local elections on 26 November.[20]