Interest in lowering the voting age has surged recently, as student-led activism stemming from the school shooting in Parkland demonstrates the power of young people to affect change and serves as a powerful reminder that young people’s perspectives and experiences must be reflected in public policy.
On February 19, CNN published an op-ed from election law and voting rights expert Joshua Douglas that makes the case:
My new one for @CNN @CNNOpinion: Parkland students show why 16-year-olds should be able to vote https://t.co/cZG3RFVgfM
— Josh Douglas (@JoshuaADouglas) February 19, 2018
Should 16-year-olds be able to vote? "The response at Stoneman Douglas High is showing that youth in this country can and should have a significant role in political debate," writes law professor Joshua Douglas via @CNNOpinion https://t.co/7svYlemSDL
— CNN (@CNN) February 19, 2018
That night, former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who now leads Let America Vote, threw his support behind the issue:
The voting age should be lowered to 16.
— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) February 20, 2018
Washington, D.C. City Council Member Charles Allen has been a longtime champion, and we’re working with him to bring back a Vote16 bill in DC this year.
Absolutely. I introduced legislation to do just that in the District of Columbia. And I'll do it again. Lowering the voting age will increase turnout, increase civic participation, and give these voices the power they need at the ballot box. @JasonKander, would love your help. https://t.co/zpSLOolurJ
— Charles Allen (@charlesallen) February 21, 2018
Two days later, the city of Takoma Park, the first municipality in the United States to allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections, answered a key question. How has this worked in practice?
We became the first city in the U.S. to lower the voting age to include 16 and 17-year-olds in City Elections in 2013. But why?
— City of Takoma Park (@TakomaParkMD) February 21, 2018
What are the election results?
2013: 44% youth turnout
2015: 45% youth turnout
2017: 48% youth turnout2013: 10% all voter turnout
2015: 21% all voter turnout
2017: 22% all voter turnout— City of Takoma Park (@TakomaParkMD) February 21, 2018
But don't just take our word for it: https://t.co/N94BAcPWhn
— City of Takoma Park (@TakomaParkMD) February 21, 2018
Bottom line: When you give youth the right to vote, they take advantage of that right.
— City of Takoma Park (@TakomaParkMD) February 21, 2018
Jonathan Bernstein from Bloomberg added to the conversation:
These kids are doing everything from organizing marches to lobbying their legislators to electioneering – and we generally encourage and praise it https://t.co/c0IsUBOUKR pic.twitter.com/L40k6ieKY3
— Bloomberg View (@BV) February 21, 2018
The bottom line? Democracies should expand the franchise whenever possible. There’s no reason why we should deny these 16- and 17-year-olds
the right to vote https://t.co/c0IsUBOUKR pic.twitter.com/Bpmp6PgT3f— Bloomberg View (@BV) February 21, 2018
Jon Lovett of Pod Save America gets it:
Lower the voting age to 16.
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) February 22, 2018
He recognizes that different legal rights and privileges call for different age limits. This is exactly right. Each age limit in our society should be determined based on what is best for that particular activity. For voting, 16 is the right time to start.
I didn't say 16 year olds are full-fledged adults. I said give them a say in our democracy. We mete out the rights and privileges of adulthood in increments. 18 year olds in Florida can by AR-15s but not beer. https://t.co/XsdUE3nWWB
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) February 22, 2018
And followed it up with full article on the issue, which mentions Generation Citizen’s work and addresses counterarguments. “You are young but it is time you get in the habit of democracy. You are young but voting isn’t for other people. It’s for you. It has to be.”
Lower the voting age to 16. It’s the self defense young people need. https://t.co/0aIJqioPa5
— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) February 23, 2018
The next week, opinion pieces in both the Washington Post and New York Times continued to make the case.
The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog explains how the “trickle up” effect means that lowering the voting age can increase turnout among youth and their parents.
The surprising consequence of lowering the voting age https://t.co/SlCIlwS6WN
— Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) March 1, 2018
In the New York Times, psychologist Laurence Steinberg explains the difference between hot and cold cognition, and why that means 16-year-olds are ready to vote.
The Parkland high schoolers are challenging the tiresome cliché of American kids as indolent narcissists, says @ldsteinberg https://t.co/oUOH5kEloG
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) March 2, 2018
Boston public radio and TV host Jim Braude, who proposed lowering the voting age as a member of the Cambridge, MA city council in 2000, makes the case in the Boston Globe:
.@jimbraude in @BostonGlobeMag: Let 16-year-olds vote. They might take it more seriously than their elders. https://t.co/YaZnV4fR4k
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) March 15, 2018
The 74, an education focused website, offers a good overview of the case for a lower voting age, with links to the most relevant research:
"After Parkland, Young People Led the Way in Protesting Gun Violence. Now Some Are Saying We Should Let 16-Year-Olds Vote, Too," by @KevinMahnken in @The74. https://t.co/B6E9cLA5Kz
— Vote16USA (@Vote16USA) March 22, 2018
Want to help build the movement to lower the voting age, or start to advocate in your city? Get in touch. Sign up for our newsletter. And check out our resources to learn more and get started with advocacy.