TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The "nine-in-one elections" are scheduled for Nov. 26. With less than one month to go, all of the candidates in Taiwan are campaigning hard. In addition to the elections of county magistrates and city mayors, there will also be a referendum on the same day. It will decide if young adults aged between 18 and 19 should also have the right to vote.
The following are five things you need to know about this referendum. To begin with, a referendum is a vote by the people on a proposal, a law or a constitutional amendment. Lowering the voting age requires a constitutional amendment, which will take a higher vote count to pass. If it is successfully adopted, however, younger people might have a say in the election of the next president of Taiwan.
Supporters for the referendum deem it necessary because more than 200 countries worldwide have a minimum voting age of 18. As 18-year-olds in Taiwan are subject to criminal responsibility and are allowed to drink and get their driver's license, many argue that they should be able to vote as well.
Meanwhile, those against the referendum claim that young adults in Taiwan are not mature enough to understand politics. The argument is based on the fact that most 18-year-olds are full-time students who have not entered society yet. Some people also believe that 18-year-olds do not have enough experience to make informed decisions.
Fourth, a constitutional referendum needs an ultimate vote by the people. There are four steps, and three are already complete.
To begin with, a quarter of all legislators need to propose the referendum. Second, three-quarter of the legislators need to be present to vote for or against the bill. Third, three-quarter of those present legislators will need to vote FOR the referendum bill, which they did in March of this year. Last but not least, more than half of eligible voters in Taiwan need to vote for the referendum on Nov. 26.
So, how likely will the referendum pass? In fact, the chance of that is actually quite slim. In order for it to pass, 9.65 million people need to vote for it. This is more than the 8.17 million votes that were cast for President Tsai Ing-wen in 2020, meaning that the proposal needs to have the support of the opposition parties too.
President Tsai Ing-wen and Taiwan's major political parties all agree that the voting age should be lowered from 20 to 18. But what do you think? Should Taiwan lower the voting age? Join the public vote next month to have your say.
