In Taiwan, referendum on lowering voting age to 18 fails to meet turnout threshold

A referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 fell short of the threshold needed to pass [on 26 November], dealing a blow to groups pushing to bring Taiwan's voting age in line with that of most other democracies. […] To pass, it required a "yes" vote from half of all eligible voters in Taiwan, meaning that 9,619,697 "yes" votes from among 19,239,392 eligible voters were needed, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC). Instead, 5,647,102 voters backed the proposed revision, versus 5,016,427 opposing it, with 11,345,932 votes cast and 682,403 invalid votes, according to figures from the CEC. [...] The two major parties, along with the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and the New Power Party (NPP), finally came to an agreement over the issue earlier this year, with the proposed amendment clearing the Legislature on March 25 in a 109-0 vote. The proposed constitutional revision would have allowed approximately 411,200 people who are currently in the 18-19 age group to vote in elections held shortly after the referendum, including the Chiayi mayoral election postponed to Dec. 18, according to the CEC. In addition, it would have lowered the age at which Taiwanese citizens can run for office from the current 23 years old to 18, pending changes to the Constitution or other existing laws.
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