The History of the Voting Age Threshold: From 20 to 18, a Two-Decade Unfinished Constitutional Amendment

The Afternoon at 4 p.m.

On November 26, 2022, at 4 p.m., the 17,773 polling stations across Taiwan closed their ballot boxes simultaneously¹. On that day, Taiwan held elections for nine positions in the local elections (mayors of special municipalities, county/city mayors, councilors, township/mayors, village chiefs, district chiefs of indigenous districts, and district representatives of indigenous districts). The last ballot was cast into the box: in addition to these nine ballots, many voters held a tenth ballot in their hands, with the cover reading "Amendment to the Constitution of the Republic of China."

This was the first time a constitutional amendment followed the full procedure to the referendum stage since the seventh constitutional amendment in 2005 abolished the Functional Electoral College and adopted the "Legislative Yuan proposal + national referendum" system². The amendment consisted of only one article: changing "age 20 or above" in Article 130 of the Constitution to "age 18 or above."

Ballot boxes were sealed at 4 p.m., and results began to emerge by 5:30 p.m. That evening, the Central Election Commission announced: 5,647,102 votes in favor, 5,016,427 votes against, an approval rate of approximately 53%, and a voter turnout of 59.10%³. The "in favor" votes exceeded the "against" votes by 600,000, and the result was that more than half of the 22 counties and cities voted in favor. However, because the referendum threshold was set at "the effective votes in favor must exceed half of the total number of eligible voters in the free area of the Republic of China" (9,619,697 at the time), this constitutional amendment failed to cross the threshold by 3.97 million votes⁴.

2026 九合一選舉 will continue with the same nine positions, the system of 九合一選舉是什麼 remains unchanged, and the voting age threshold of 20 remains unchanged: the question this article seeks to answer is simple: Why has Taiwan's voting age remained unchanged for 75 years?

Article 130 of 1947: The Starting Point of Age 20

The Constitution of the Republic of China was passed by the Constitutional Convention on December 25, 1946, promulgated on January 1, 1947, and implemented on December 25, 1947⁵. Article 130 reads:

"Citizens of the Republic of China who have reached the age of twenty shall have the right to vote according to law, and those who have reached the age of twenty-three shall have the right to stand for election according to law, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution and laws."⁶

Vote at 20, run for office at 23: This article has remained unchanged since the drafting of the Constitution until today in 2026, for 79 years. Compared to other articles, the stability of Article 130 is particularly notable: the nine amendments have revised more than 20 articles, the national flag article (Article 6) has been amended, the Examination Yuan articles (Articles 83-89) have been amended, and the structure of the Five Yuans has undergone significant adjustments, but the article on the voting age has quietly remained in place.

The constitutional archives do not leave much record of debate on how the number 20 was determined at the time: the historical context was the 35th year of the Republic of China, World War II had just ended, the Chinese Civil War was about to break out, and democratic politics had not yet truly operated. The age of 20 was considered a reasonable age for "adulthood" at the time, slightly lower than the standards of most other countries at the same time (the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan were all 21 at the time)⁷.

It is worth noting that in the electoral practice of Taiwan from the constitutional drafting to the post-war period, the voting age was always 20 and never changed. There is a common saying that "it used to be 21 and later changed to 20": this statement is inconsistent with the text of the Constitution. It may be a confusion between the history of the 26th Amendment of the United States (21 → 18) in 1971 and local history [NEEDS-VERIFY Source of the popular 21→20 claim].

The Threshold of 2005: Constitutional Amendment Became Difficult

To understand why 5.64 million "in favor" votes in 2022 did not pass, we must return to June 7, 2005—the day the Functional Electoral College passed the amendment to the seventh constitutional amendment, doing two things: abolishing the Electoral College and amending the constitution to adopt a referendum⁸.

The amended Article 12 of the Additional Articles reads:

"The amendment of the Constitution shall be proposed by one-fourth of the members of the Legislative Yuan, with the attendance of three-fourths of the members, and the resolution of three-fourths of the attending members. The constitutional amendment shall be announced for six months, and after being approved by the eligible voters in the free area of the Republic of China through a referendum, with the effective votes in favor exceeding half of the total number of eligible voters, it shall be passed."⁹

This article sets one of the highest constitutional amendment thresholds in the world:

1. Legislative Yuan 1/4 proposal (1/4 of 113 seats = 29 seats)
2. Legislative Yuan 3/4 attendance (3/4 of 113 seats = 85 seats)
3. 3/4 approval by attending legislators (3/4 of 85 attending seats = 64 votes in favor; if all attend, then 85 votes in favor)
4. Referendum after six months of announcement
5. More than half of the total number of eligible voters in the country (9.62 million in 2022)

The fifth item is the real hard threshold. The so-called "more than half of the total number of eligible voters" is not "more than half of the number of votes cast," but "half of the total population with voting rights"—in other words, those who did not vote are equivalent to voting "against". Even if the voter turnout reaches 100%, more than half of all eligible voters must mark "in favor" for it to pass.

How high is this threshold? Take the presidential election as a comparison: in 2020, Tsai Ing-wen was re-elected with 8.17 million votes, the highest record in history¹⁰; in 2024, Lai Ching-te was elected with 5.58 million votes, with a vote share of 40.05%¹¹. No president in Taiwan's history has ever received more votes than the 9.62 million "in favor" threshold required for a constitutional amendment.

When the Functional Electoral College designed this threshold in 2005, the original intention was "constitutional amendment should be extremely difficult and not easily used by the majority party"—this intention is understandable. But the actual result after 20 years is: since the 2005 amendment to the referendum, Taiwan's Constitution has been frozen. The 2022 referendum on the voting age at 18 was the first attempt after the reform and is the only one so far.

Twenty Years of Appeals: From 2005 to 2022

Lowering the voting age to 18 is not a proposal that emerged in Taiwan in 2022. Stretching the timeline, we can see at least 20 years of accumulation:

• 2005: The second year after the implementation of the Referendum Act, civil society organizations "Qingpingtai" and "Youth Labor 95 Alliance" began discussing the threshold for youth political participation¹²
• 2014: After the Sunflower Student Movement, the political consciousness of the younger generation awakened, and "voting age at 18" became a common demand of cross-party youth organizations¹³
• 2017: The National Development Council of the Executive Yuan held the "Youth Vision National Policy Conference," one of the conclusions of which was "recommend promoting the lowering of the voting age to 18"¹⁴
• 2018: The age of adulthood in the Civil Code was changed to 18 (amendment to Article 12 of the Civil Code), but Article 7 of the Referendum Act simultaneously lowered the voting age for referendums from 20 to 18, creating a institutional gap where "18-year-olds can vote in referendums but not for president"¹⁵
• 2020: The Legislative Yuan Constitutional Amendment Committee was established to discuss the amendment of Article 130 of the Constitution
• March 25, 2022: The Legislative Yuan Constitutional Amendment Committee passed the "voting age at 18" constitutional amendment proposal with 109:0 votes, setting a rare record of cross-party consensus in the history of Taiwan's constitutional amendments¹⁶
• November 26, 2022: The constitutional amendment referendum failed, with 5.64 million in favor and 5.02 million against, failing to meet the threshold

It is worth noting that the 109:0 vote in the Legislative Yuan in March 2022. On that day, legislators from the Kuomintang, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan People's Party, New Power Party, and non-affiliated legislators all attended and all voted in favor—this is almost a unique case in the political landscape of the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan. Cross-party consensus is not lacking; what is lacking is voter mobilization at the referendum stage.

The Slogan: "Paying Taxes, Serving in the Military, Cannot Vote"

The core talking point of the voting age at 18 movement is a structurally simple contrast:

"I pay taxes, I have to serve in the military, but I cannot vote for president."

Starting in 2023, the Civil Code of the Republic of China lowered the age of adulthood from 20 to 18¹⁷—18-year-olds can marry, sign contracts, independently bear civil liability, serve in the military, bear criminal liability, pay income tax, and vote in referendums (per Article 7 of the Referendum Act), but uniquely cannot vote for president, legislators, or local elections.

This institutional gap became the main narrative of the movement in 2022. Supporters argue that since other civic obligations start at 18, there is no reason for the right to vote to stop at 20. Opponents' arguments are roughly divided into three categories: (1) the mental maturity of 18-year-olds is questionable; (2) there are procedural concerns about binding the constitutional amendment to the referendum; (3) once lowered, it may be lowered again to 16.

The arguments on both sides are not what this article is judging—this article aims to record the institutional structure: the Civil Code age of adulthood changed to 18, the referendum right changed to 18, the voting age stuck at 20, this asymmetry itself is the legacy left by the failed constitutional amendment.

International Comparison: Taiwan's Age 20 in the Global Coordinate

Zooming out to the international level, Taiwan's age 20 voting age is a relative minority in democratic countries.

United States: The 26th Amendment of 1971, Driven by Vietnam War Conscription

The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and was approved by three-fourths of the states within three and a half months, taking effect on July 1—this is the fastest amendment to the United States Constitution in history¹⁸. The text is simple:

"The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age."

The driving force came from the Vietnam War. In the 1960s, the U.S. military conscription age was 18, but the voting age was 21, making "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" a movement slogan. By the time it was passed in 1971, the Vietnam War had entered its late stage, with 58,000 U.S. soldiers killed, most of whom were 18-20 year old conscripts¹⁹.

United Kingdom: The Representation of the People Act of 1969

The United Kingdom was earlier than the United States, passing the Representation of the People Act 1969 in 1969, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18²⁰. This bill did not go through constitutional amendment (the UK has an unwritten constitution), but was passed by a majority in Parliament—this is the flexibility of parliamentary sovereignty.

Japan: The 2015 Amendment to the Public Office Election Law, the First Adjustment in 70 Years

On June 17, 2015 (Heisei 27), the Act on Partial Amendment of the Public Office Election Law, etc. (Heisei 27 Law No. 43) was passed by the Diet, lowering the voting age from 20 to 18²¹. It took effect on June 19, 2016, and the House of Councillors election on July 10, 2016, became the first application of the new system, adding approximately 2.4 million new 18-19 year old voters nationwide.

Japan's amendment was the first adjustment of the voting age in 70 years since the war—from 20 in 1945 (Showa 20) to 18 in 2015. The background of the amendment was partly to respond to criticism of "silver democracy" (policies overly tilted towards elderly voters) and partly to align with the 2014 amendment to the National Referendum Act (lowering the voting age for constitutional referendums to 18).

South Korea: The 2020 Amendment to the Public Office Election Law

South Korea passed the amendment to the Public Office Election Law in December 2019, lowering the voting age from 19 to 18, taking effect in January 2020²². This amendment was coordinated with the April 2020 legislative election, adding approximately 530,000 new 18-year-old voters.

It is worth noting that South Korea was originally only 19 (not 20 like Taiwan or Japan), making it a rare country in East Asia with a "starting at 19" system—this history of 19 can be traced back to the election law set during the founding of the Republic of Korea in 1948.

Global Trend: Age 18 is the Mainstream in Democratic Countries

Organizing the voting ages of 38 OECD countries:

• Age 18: 36 countries (US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Czech Republic, most EU members)
• Age 19: 0 countries (South Korea lowered to 18 in 2020)
• Age 20: 1 country (Taiwan—Taiwan is not an OECD member, listed here for comparison)
• Age 16: Austria nationwide (since 2007), some German states for local elections, some cases in Scotland, UK for local elections, Brazil (voluntary for 16-17 year olds)²³

In other words: Taiwan's age 20 is an isolated case in OECD-level democratic countries. Even if not counting the OECD, expanding the lens to other democratic regimes in Asia (Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia changed to 18 in 2019), age 18 is the mainstream.

The Controversy of Binding Referendums to Elections: Another Structural Variable

The constitutional amendment referendum on November 26, 2022, had another often ignored structural background: it was Taiwan's last time a constitutional amendment referendum was held on the same day as a general election.

After the four national referendums on December 18, 2021, the Legislative Yuan passed the amendment to the Referendum Act, mandating the decoupling of referendums and general elections—general referendum cases must be separated from elections and held on a separate day²⁴. However, the constitutional amendment passed in March 2022 had a special clause: the constitutional amendment referendum was bound to be held on the same day as the November 26, 2022, local elections, a compromise design by the Legislative Yuan to save costs and increase voter turnout.

This design brought two contradictions:

1. Increasing voter turnout: Riding the coattails of the local elections, the overall voter turnout on 11/26 reached 59.86%, far higher than the 41% turnout of the standalone referendum in December 2021
2. Diluting the referendum focus: When voters entered the polling station, they prioritized the nine local elections, and the tenth constitutional amendment ballot was often treated as an "incidental option," with some voters not even knowing about this ballot

The final data presents an interesting tension: voter turnout was not low (59%), approval rate was not low (53%), cross-party consensus was complete (Legislative Yuan 109:0)—but the threshold was too high (9.62 million). These three "not lows" added together still fell short by 3.97 million votes in favor.

After the Failed Constitutional Amendment: The Silence of the System

On November 27, 2022, the day after the referendum failed, legislators from all parties gave roughly consistent responses to the results. Both the Kuomintang and Democratic Progressive Party caucuses issued statements affirming the "cross-party consensus," but regarding the next steps, there was no specific timeline²⁵.

From November 2022 to May 2026, the Legislative Yuan has not initiated any constitutional amendment. Although legislators from various parties have mentioned "should restart the constitutional amendment for voting age at 18" in different contexts, in reality:

• No new constitutional amendment proposals have entered the Constitutional Amendment Committee
• No second Legislative Yuan plenary session with 3/4 attendance and 3/4 approval vote
• No second referendum

Today in 2026, Taiwan's voting age is still 20. The phrase "age 20 or above" in Article 130 of the Constitution remains unchanged. 79 years since the constitutional drafting.

The frequency of constitutional amendments in democratic countries is usually not high (it is constitutional常识 that constitutional amendment should be difficult), but "threshold too high leading to de facto freeze" is another matter. Taiwan has had zero successful constitutional amendments in the 21 years since 2005; this number itself is one of the results of institutional design.

Why This Number Matters

Zooming out again, in the narrative of democratization and Taiwan's democratic transition, the voting age threshold is often treated as a "formal issue"—not as conspicuous as electoral fairness, party alternation, or press freedom. But this age threshold touches upon the fundamental definition of "who counts as a citizen":

• The age 20 threshold means that Taiwanese society tacitly assumes that 18-19 year old youth are "not yet complete political citizens"
• At the same time, this group is already a complete subject of civil liability, criminal liability, taxpayer, and military service obligation
• This gap does not affect daily life, but is re-exposed every election year (presidential elections every four years, local elections every four years)

The next local elections will be held in November 2026. If the Legislative Yuan does not restart the constitutional amendment process before then, the 18-19 year old youth of 2026 (born in 2007-2008) will still be unable to vote—they will have to wait until 2028 (presidential election) or 2030 (next local election) to gain the right to vote. Many of these youth were still in elementary school during the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement; by the time they grow up to be able to vote, the movement will be 14 years ago.

The time scale of democratic institutions is longer than a generation. The age 20 set in 1947 now affects the generation born in 2007. There is currently no answer to which year this line can be moved down.

Further Reading

• What are the Local Elections?: The origin of the nine-position local election system to be held in November 2026
• 2026 Local Elections: Tracking the schedule, nominations, and issues of this election
• Sunflower Student Movement: A landmark event in the awakening of the political consciousness of the youth generation in 2014
• Democratization: The long-term structure of Taiwan's post-war democratization
• Taiwan's Democratic Transition: Institutional changes from authoritarianism to democracy
• Politics Hub: An overview of Taiwan's political system knowledge

Footnotes

This article belongs to the 2026 Election Series Tier 1.1 evergreen institutional article, adhering to the principle of symmetry (no party bias, only recording institutional evolution) + institutional level focus (no candidate-level writing) + three filters self-apply (MANIFESTO §Autonomy Boundary / REFLEXES #16 Cross-source Verification / Five-Bucket Classification). Last verification date 2026-05-27.