The Political Rise of Taiwan's Youth

It has been widely argued that the defeat of Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party’s (KMT) in the ‘nine-in-one’ local elections revealed nationwide disillusionment with the government. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won 13 of the 22 cities and counties, and the KMT only managed to retain 6 of the 15 localities that they had previously held. Though overall voter turnout was approximately 68 per cent, 70 per cent of 20–29 year olds went to the ballot box — one of the highest youth turnout rates in Taiwanese history. Young people, inspired by the Sunflower Movement to become more politically active and serve as government watchdogs, played a crucial role in determining the outcome of the elections. In fact, some even go as far as arguing that the election results were youth-driven.