The latest news and commentary on lowering the voting age

NowThis showcases Vote16DC, with Yara Shahidi!

Jul 18, 2018

NowThis Eighteenx18 with Yara Shahidi showcases Vote16DC, talks to our leaders, and Council Member Charles Allen!

What would Australia look like if young people had a greater say?

Dec 9, 2018

A representative travelled across Australia to answer the question, “What would Australia look like if Australian’s had a say? This article reflects on why students skipping class to walk out across the country. A hint: They want to be heard.

Malden City Council to bring lowering the voting age ordinance to residents

Dec 9, 2018

Citizen Engagement held a public hearing on the lowering the voting age, but the committee was not ready to report back on the matter. Ordinance tabled the matter for one week as the wait for the report.

Kentucky lawmakers wants 16-year-olds to be eligible

Dec 9, 2018

“There is no magic age, by which someone is considered responsible,” he said. “There are 56-year-olds about whom we wonder ‘what were they thinking?’ And there are 16-year-olds who are very smart, very intelligent and very well informed about what’s going on.”

It’s our future, so give us the vote

Dec 9, 2018

“The voting age should be 16, to give us more say over the long-term issues that most affect our futures. We are smart, mature and want to change the world. Please give us the chance.”

Make it 16: a teenager on why we should lower the voting age

Nov 30, 2018

“If the voting age was lowered to 16, politicians would be far more likely to take youth opinions and issues seriously, as their votes (and their pay cheques) would rely on it. Unfortunately, right now the disheartening fact is that the youth voice is often ignored, all because we aren’t allowed to vote. Yet.”

Irish teenager ‘takes over’ Taoiseach’s office to mark World Children’s Day

Nov 30, 2018

“Aoife Murphy won the Unicef #KidsTakeOver competition for her campaign to lower the voting age to 16 and she spent Monday with Mr Varadkar to highlight why young people deserve to have a say in decisions that affect their future.”

‘We’re Not Going Anywhere’: Teen Activists Aren’t Giving Up Fight To Lower Voting Age After Council Setback

Nov 18, 2018

“I was somewhat disappointed, however I’m not looking at this as a loss,” says Julian Smith, a 17 year old who attends Chavez Public Charter School for Public Policy. “I’m looking at this as a learning experience. So from what we saw in the meeting, it only taught us what we need to do: work harder to make sure it gets passed.”

‘Voter Suppression?’ Proposal to Lower DC Voting Age Rejected

Nov 18, 2018

“Giving these youth the right to vote ensures that their voices are heard. The people who were [historically] allowed to vote were white men with property. As we’ve seen over the last 100 to 200 years, each group slowly but surely got their right to vote: white men who didn’t have property, black men, women, people 21 or under and then people 18 or younger.”

Legislative Log: Rep. Marvin Nelson says he wants to lower voting age to 16

Nov 18, 2018

A Representative wants North Dakota to be the first state in the country to lower the voting age to 16.

Actually, Looks Like the D.C. Council May Not Give 16-Year-Olds the Right to Vote

Nov 18, 2018

The DC Council tabled the Youth Vote Amendment Act 7-6 after two of the bill’s co-introducers voted in favor of tabling the bill, effectively killing its chances of being passed before the year end deadline.

DC Council suspends action on bill to lower voting age to 16

Nov 18, 2018

Lawmakers in DC voted to table the Youth Vote Amendment Act, a bill that would lower the voting age to 16 in the district for all elections. Council member Allen said the legislation is “not dead, but something has to change for the votes to bring it back.”

Washington DC Won’t Lower The Voting Age To 16 Just Yet — But The Battle Isn’t Over

Nov 18, 2018

“On the verge of becoming the first jurisdiction to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in presidential elections, Washington D.C. lawmakers tabled a voting age bill on Tuesday.”