Resources on Work to Lower the Voting Age in Local Elections

“Young Voices at the Ballot Box: Advancing Efforts to Lower the Voting Age in 2017 and Beyond”
An updated version of our first white paper, this document presents a comprehensive overview of the research behind lowering the voting age and the current landscape around the idea, complete with a legal feasibility study that identifies target cities and states.

“Vote16USA: Next Steps in the Movement”
A memo detailing concrete goals and a bold vision for the coming years.

Testimonials
Youth leaders and elected officials in their own words. 

Selected Media Highlights
Media outlets covered the issue more than 100 times in the past year. Here are some highlights:

• “The Case for Allowing 16-Year-Olds to Vote.” Vox, November 7, 2016.
• “Campaign to Lower Voting Age to 16 in Local Races Ignites a Debate.” New York Times, December 10, 2015.
• “We’re young. We care. We want to vote.” (Youth-written op-ed). Washington Post, June 10, 2016.
• “Why S.F. Should Lower the Voting Age.” (Youth-written op-ed). San Francisco Chronicle, May 9, 2016.

SF Campaign Highlights
In 2016, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to put the question of lowering the voting age before voters as a ballot measure (Prop F). Youth led the campaign every step of the way, winning endorsements from nearly every elected official in the city. A spring poll pegged the measure at 36% support. Youth leaders pressed ahead with a grassroots campaign and made an incredible impact on public opinion. In November, Prop F earned more than 172,000 votes to finish at 48%, a truly historic accomplishment. Below are highlights from the campaign. A more comprehensive case study and blueprints for other cities to follow are forthcoming. 

• 16 For Democracy – A youth-centered campaign video that was gained 35,000 views in the week before the election
• Upworthy: Lowering the Voting Age – An Upworthy video about the campaign and the youth leaders behind it, viewed 150,000 times before the election
• 100+ Youth Influence S.F. Board of Education in Voting Age Decision – A blog post on the youth mobilization that secured the school board’s unanimous support
• Vote16 Heads to the Ballot in San Francisco – A blog post on the Board of Supervisors’ decision to place the measure on the ballot, influenced by testimony from more than 100 youth and allies