Politicians in several Democrat-run cities have voted to lower the voting age of local races to 16 years old.
The Details
Democrats in several U.S. jurisdictions want to lower the local voting age to 16, as data shows younger voters are overwhelmingly more likely to support Democratic candidates.
Fox News reports, “According to the Washington Examiner, lawmakers in Boston, Mass. and Culver City, Calif. are supporting measures to let younger residents vote in local elections, at the same time that a Virginia delegate is pushing for the same across the entire state.”
The change would only apply to local races, not statewide or national.
The cities of Oakland, Berkley, Takoma Park, Hyattsville, Greenbelt, Riverdale Park, and Mount Rainer all allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal elections.
Last week, the Boston City Council voted 9-4 to allow 16-year-olds to vote in municipal elections. If Mayor Michelle Wu signs off on it, it will go to the state legislature for a vote.
Many oppose the idea stating 16-year-olds aren’t old enough to attend a rated R movie and should not be able to vote because it is too young.
This Isn’t New
In March 2021, disgraced U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) reintroduced an amendment to lower the federal election voting age from 18 years old to 16 years old.
“A sixteen-year-old in 2021 possesses a wisdom and a maturity that comes from 2021 challenges, 2021 hardships, and 2021 threats,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley, one of the members of Congress behind the amendment, said in March 2021. “Now is the time for us to demonstrate the courage that matches the challenges of the modern-day sixteen- and seventeen-year-old.”
“Our young people, including 16- and 17-year-olds, continue to fight and advocate for so many issues that they are passionate about, from gun safety to the climate crisis,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng.
Teens Voting Get Support Worldwide
In New Zealand, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said the government would introduce a bill to lower the voting age to 16 after the supreme court ruled the voting age of 18 discriminated against younger voters. That parliament was breaching their fundamental human rights.
Earlier in the year, Australia discussed lowering the voting age to 16.
Only a handful of countries allow under-18s to vote. Still, in recent years, campaigns to lower voting ages have grown, with many arguing that young people should have a say in long-term democratic decisions, given they will have to live with the consequences.
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