New Power Party (NPP) lawmakers yesterday introduced a bill to lower the voting age to 18 after a referendum to ratify the measure as a constitutional amendment failed to pass on Nov. 26.
The bill to amend Article 14 of the Civil Servants Election And Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) is being scheduled for deliberation by the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee, the NPP legislative caucus told a news conference at the legislature in Taipei.
Additionally, the bill would restore the voting rights of people who are under a declaration of guardianship, as limits to franchisement contravene the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The proposed amendments do not conflict with Article 13 of the Constitution, which stipulates that people must be given the right to vote at age 20, NPP Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said.
The legislative intent of Article 13 is to enshrine the rights of people who are 20 or older, not prevent the voting age from being lowered, Chiu said.
The purpose of the Constitution is to limit the power of the government while expanding civil rights, including suffrage, he said.
The Constitution explicitly states that the nation is a democratic republic, he said.
The party understands that proposing changes to the voting age so soon after the referendum defeat could trigger controversy, but the issue is important, NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said.
The referendum results showed that there was a clear majority who supported lowering the voting age to 18, Wang said, adding that the high threshold to change the Constitution is not a reason to abandon generational justice.
The bill’s constitutionality is for the Constitutional Court to decide and it would not have a chance to do so unless the amendment is promulgated, she said.
The NPP hopes that the Democratic Progressive Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) continue to support lowering the voting age, she added.
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