Youth groups urge inclusion of 18-year-old voting rights in Election and Recall Act to root Taiwan's democracy

The Legislative Yuan is set to review the amendment to the Election and Recall Act on the 8th. Today (7th), several youth groups called on the three major parties in the Legislative Yuan to continue supporting the amendment, ensuring that the right to vote at 18 is codified as soon as possible, protecting the political rights of young people, and allowing Taiwan's democracy to take root. The Legislative Yuan will review the draft amendment to the Election and Recall Act in the Internal Administration Committee on the 8th, which includes the "18-year-old citizenship rights." On the eve of the review, several youth groups jointly called on the ruling and opposition parties to maintain their support for the amendment to realize 18-year-old citizenship rights as soon as possible. Chang Yu-chia, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Alliance for the Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare, stated that since 2005, civil groups have worked together to lower the voting age. At that time, nearly 80% of the public did not support it. However, with the shift in social consensus, by the 2022 referendum, 5.64 million people supported it, showing the continuous growth of Taiwan's social concern for youth rights. Chen Yu-jen, Chairman of the Taiwan Student Union, emphasized the importance of 18-year-old citizenship rights. Since the age of majority in Taiwan's Civil and Criminal Codes is already 18, and one can vote in referendums at 18, the voices of young people should not be ignored. Tsai Chi-yeh, Chairman of the Taiwan EdYouth Association, pointed out that the "Youth Basic Law" passed its third reading at the end of last year. Article 20 requires "completing relevant legal systems within two years," meaning the Legislative Yuan should complete the relevant amendments before the 2028 presidential election at the latest. However, he urged that if it can be completed earlier, it will allow young people to participate in public affairs sooner and allow Taiwan's democracy to take root. He said: "The most important thing is that 18-year-old citizenship rights are the common expectation of the youth generation. We also call on the Executive Yuan to hear the expectations and voices of young people, and the Legislative Yuan should complete the amendment as soon as possible within two years to let Taiwan's democracy take root." Regarding whether the amendment is unconstitutional, Tsai Ching-hung, founder of Youth Trend, pointed out that the threshold for constitutional amendment is currently too high. After years of discussion in the legal community, there is a tendency to believe that there is room for constitutional interpretation, and that "amending the law may be sufficient." He hopes that the three party caucuses and the Executive Yuan can listen to the voices of young people and the academic community. Yang Tzu-ying, Chairman of the Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy, also stated that they have put forward a simple but sincere expectation, hoping that the ruling and opposition parties will support it together, so that 18-year-old citizenship rights will not just remain an idea, but be implemented in the real system; allowing young people not to be restricted in civic participation because of their age, which is also an important indicator of a democratic system.