Legislative Yuan Preliminary Review Passes 18-Year-Old Citizen Rights, Recommends Simultaneous Constitutional Amendment by Constitutional Amendment Committee
Taiwan's Legislative Yuan Internal Administration Committee passed preliminary review of amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act, lowering the voting age from 20 to 18. A supplementary resolution was also adopted, recommending the Constitutional Amendment Committee to simultaneously initiate constitutional amendment work for 18-year-old citizen rights.
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 13:28
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TAIPEI (Central News Agency) - The Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee today passed preliminary review of amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act, lowering the voting age from 20 to 18. However, as it awaits constitutional interpretation, a supplementary resolution was adopted, recommending the Legislative Yuan's Constitutional Amendment Committee to simultaneously initiate constitutional amendment work for 18-year-old citizen rights.
Article 130 of the Constitution
The current Article 130 of the Constitution stipulates: Citizens of the Republic of China who have attained the age of 20 years shall have the right to elect in accordance with law, and, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution and laws, those who have attained the age of 23 years shall have the right to be elected in accordance with law.
The Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee today invited Minister of the Interior Liu Shih-fang to attend and review parts of the amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act.
Liu Shih-fang stated during the consultation that as of the end of February this year, there are a total of 411,731 citizens aged 18 to 20 across Taiwan, and this number will increase when calculating the electorate. 70% of them are concentrated in the six special municipalities.
Liu Shih-fang said that regarding whether there are constitutional issues, the administrative agency is not the constitutional interpretation agency. During previous public hearings, there were different stances on whether to amend the constitution. The Legislative Yuan has already established a Constitutional Amendment Committee, and whether to amend the constitution will be handled by the Legislative Yuan's authority, which the Ministry of the Interior respects.
Liu Shih-fang stated that if only the election and recall acts are amended to lower the voting age to 18, "there will definitely be doubts in future elections," and it is impossible for only the administrative agency to provide an interpretation; it would likely go to the judicial agency.
Wang Hsiao-lin, Director of the Central Election Commission's Election Affairs Department, said that if the voting age is lowered to 18, an estimated 410,000 people will be added, involving election operations such as setting up polling stations and compiling voter lists. If the amendment is passed after the election on November 28 this year, which will be announced on August 20, the old law will still apply.
After consultation, the preliminarily passed articles of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act clearly stipulate that citizens who have attained the age of 18 shall have the right to elect; in addition, those who have attained the age of 18 can also be signatories for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The effective date of this amendment will be determined by the Executive Yuan.
The meeting also adopted a supplementary resolution, stating that 18-year-old citizen rights are a current global trend, and the Legislative Yuan has a consensus on lowering the voting age. However, 18-year-old citizen rights involve constitutional doubts regarding Article 130 of the Constitution, which awaits interpretation by the Judicial Yuan's Constitutional Court. To avoid future constitutional disputes, it is recommended that the Legislative Yuan's Constitutional Amendment Committee initiate constitutional amendment work and simultaneously launch related constitutional amendment work for 18-year-old citizen rights.
Finally, Liao Hsien-hsiang, convener of the Internal Administration Committee and Kuomintang legislator, stated that the review of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act has been completed and will be submitted to the plenary session for discussion after party caucus consultation. (Edited by Zhai Sijia) 1150507
Article 130 of the Constitution
The current Article 130 of the Constitution stipulates: Citizens of the Republic of China who have attained the age of 20 years shall have the right to elect in accordance with law, and, except as otherwise provided by this Constitution and laws, those who have attained the age of 23 years shall have the right to be elected in accordance with law.
The Legislative Yuan's Internal Administration Committee today invited Minister of the Interior Liu Shih-fang to attend and review parts of the amendments to the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act.
Liu Shih-fang stated during the consultation that as of the end of February this year, there are a total of 411,731 citizens aged 18 to 20 across Taiwan, and this number will increase when calculating the electorate. 70% of them are concentrated in the six special municipalities.
Liu Shih-fang said that regarding whether there are constitutional issues, the administrative agency is not the constitutional interpretation agency. During previous public hearings, there were different stances on whether to amend the constitution. The Legislative Yuan has already established a Constitutional Amendment Committee, and whether to amend the constitution will be handled by the Legislative Yuan's authority, which the Ministry of the Interior respects.
Liu Shih-fang stated that if only the election and recall acts are amended to lower the voting age to 18, "there will definitely be doubts in future elections," and it is impossible for only the administrative agency to provide an interpretation; it would likely go to the judicial agency.
Wang Hsiao-lin, Director of the Central Election Commission's Election Affairs Department, said that if the voting age is lowered to 18, an estimated 410,000 people will be added, involving election operations such as setting up polling stations and compiling voter lists. If the amendment is passed after the election on November 28 this year, which will be announced on August 20, the old law will still apply.
After consultation, the preliminarily passed articles of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act clearly stipulate that citizens who have attained the age of 18 shall have the right to elect; in addition, those who have attained the age of 18 can also be signatories for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The effective date of this amendment will be determined by the Executive Yuan.
The meeting also adopted a supplementary resolution, stating that 18-year-old citizen rights are a current global trend, and the Legislative Yuan has a consensus on lowering the voting age. However, 18-year-old citizen rights involve constitutional doubts regarding Article 130 of the Constitution, which awaits interpretation by the Judicial Yuan's Constitutional Court. To avoid future constitutional disputes, it is recommended that the Legislative Yuan's Constitutional Amendment Committee initiate constitutional amendment work and simultaneously launch related constitutional amendment work for 18-year-old citizen rights.
Finally, Liao Hsien-hsiang, convener of the Internal Administration Committee and Kuomintang legislator, stated that the review of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act and the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act has been completed and will be submitted to the plenary session for discussion after party caucus consultation. (Edited by Zhai Sijia) 1150507