Had the amendment passed, it would have eliminated Article 130 of the existing Constitution of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) and been added to Article 1 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution.

Student groups and other advocacy organizations had previously described Saturday’s vote as the last mile of their decades-long efforts to bring down the voting age in Taiwan to 18 through a constitutional amendment.

They argued that if people face such obligations as paying taxes or serving compulsory military service when they turn 18, they should be given the right to vote at that same age.