A bill to allow 16- and 17-year-old Oregonians to vote in school board elections drew passionate testimony Monday, with supporters saying teens younger than 18 are eager to have a say in issues directly affecting their education and opponents arguing they’re just too immature to vote.
House Bill 3012 has gained tremendous support from students, teachers and even school board members. The supporters include the 38,000-member educators’ union, the Oregon Education Association, and Common Cause, which advocates for accountability in government.
But similar bills also have been proposed in past years and flopped — including a broader 2019 proposal to ask voters to make Oregon the first state in the nation to lower the voting age to 16 for all elections and similar efforts in 2023.
Rep. Courtney Neron, a Wilsonville Democrat who is the chief sponsor of this year’s bill, said the proposal would encourage teens under 18 to become engaged in “real-world civics education” by voting.
“Sixteen is not too young to make educated decisions, and no one knows the needs of a school better than those directly involved — educators, parents and students,” Neron told the House Rules Committee on Monday. “…Healthy habits formed early are likely to last a lifetime.”
But Rep. Dwayne Yunker, R-Grants Pass, told the committee the bill was “nonsense,” and he worried teens younger than 18 would bend to peer pressure in casting their votes. Yunker said he is the father of four adults and “someone who knows something about 16-year-old children.” He said his opinion was influenced by the “many stories” he’s heard from his son, who now works as a high school counselor.
“Let’s just say this: There are good reasons we still consider them children,” Yunker told the committee. “Sixteen-year-olds do not have the emotional maturity or life experience to make informed decisions on complex issues.”
Added Rep. E. Werner Reschke, R-Malin: “No disrespect to 16- and 17-year-olds. I’m a former member of that clan. And I remember what it’s like to be there. … But this is about treating adults like adults and minors like minors.”
Along with the lawmakers, several other adults offered in-person testimony against the bill and about 70 people submitted written comments in opposition. But most of the more than 20 people who testified before the committee Monday support the bill. More than 50 people — both minors and adults — sent in written testimony in support as well.
Nilani Maheswaran, a Portland high school student and co-founder of the student movement Vote 16 Oregon, told the committee that many of the 60 students at a youth summit hosted by the Beaverton Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board “shared feeling powerless” about major decisions affecting their education. Those included determinations about redistricting, program cuts, large class sizes and understaffed counseling offices.
“I, myself, drive, work, pay taxes,” Maheswaran said. “I’m in this room today, and I’m 17. If students can take on these responsibilities, we can be entrusted with the right to vote, too.”
The Oregon School Boards Association, which represents 197 school districts statewide, isn’t taking a side on the bill, but knows it will cost money to add 16- and 17-year-olds to the voter rolls for school board elections. The association’s government relations counsel, Adrienne Anderson, said the association would like to know the costs, which have yet to be determined.
Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, said she has the same question.
“Who’s paying for this?” Drazan asked. “How do we afford this?”
According to the National Youth Rights Association, youth advocates are working on proposals to lower the voting age to 16 for local or state elections in multiple states. Advocates say a dozen jurisdictions have done so already. Those include Oakland and Berkeley, which last fall became the first communities in California to allow 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in school board elections, according to EdSource.
Oregon’s bill wouldn’t take effect until 2027 or 2029, depending on which version of the bill potentially passes. As the bill is worded now it’s unclear if it would only empower the younger teens to vote for school board members or if it also would grant them rights to vote on money measures to pay for construction or staff as well. Backers say they plan to amend the bill to make it clear it’d only apply to the election of school board members.
— Aimee Green is covering the Oregon Legislature this session. Reach her at 503-294-5119 or agreen@oregonian.com or on Bluesky.
