TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The referendum on lowering the voting age from 20 to 18 failed to pass, the Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed Friday (Dec. 2).

The plebiscite was held on Nov. 26, the same day as local elections across the country. While more than 5.64 million voted in favor of the change, and 5.01 million voted against, according to the law, votes in favor should have exceeded 9.61 million, half of the 19.23 million eligible voters.

As a result, the proposal for the constitutional amendment did not pass, despite support from all major political parties. In March, the Legislative Yuan approved the amendment by 109 votes to 0, clearing the way for the referendum.

The outcome of the Nov. 26 vote was already known, but according to the law, the CEC needed to make an official proclamation within a week of the referendum, the Liberty Times reported.

Social activists and students spent years campaigning for the change to bring Taiwan’s voting age, in line with the practice in most other democracies.