Vote16 – Youth Infusion

The 2020 elections during the height of COVID caused many older poll workers not to volunteer which led more states to lower the minimum age to 16 to fill this critical role. Digital skills and sharp eyesight are among the many benefits for opening up this civic opportunity to teens (more about this trend is described in my 2020 Youth Infusion blog).

It is surprising that teens – who typically are stereotyped as unreliable and untrustworthy – hold these positions, especially at this horrifying time with concerted efforts to delegitimize and ambush the election process.

In contrast to many politicians and media outlets reigniting the juvenile Superpredator myth, a new study by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement at the University of Maryland reveals a promising shift in adult attitudes.

When Americans hear messages about the competence of the young people in their communities – especially when they learn that 16 and 17 year olds serve as election workers — support for including them in our democracy jumps ever higher.
Professor Mike Hanmer and Sam Novey, Government and Politics Department, University of Maryland.

This groundbreaking research demonstrates when adults learn about the civic involvement of individual young people, their attitudes inch towards more positive opinions about Generation Z. Instead of solid opposition to expanding voting rights to 16-year-olds, dare I say this data may signal that some older folks can be influenced to open their minds.

When respondents were prompted to think about the competence of the young people in their community, support for lowering the voting age jumped from just over ⅓ of respondents to nearly half of respondents.

The adage “Democracy is not a spectator sport” holds more meaning than ever. It is incumbent on adults to learn more about Vote16 campaigns across our country and talk with teens. My Youth Voice Plus Youth Vote TEDx as well as a prior blog, along with the resources below, provide additional background. Don’t be surprised that many young people have internalized the negative stereotypes about their generation and their initial reaction is similar to adults who oppose lowering the voting age.

On November 8, 2022 voters in Culver City, CA will decide whether to extend voting rights to 16-year-olds in municipal elections. If you lived in this Los Angeles suburb, how would you cast your ballot?

Additional ResourCes:

It is up to adults to move from exclusion of minors to inclusion of this prized segment of the population. Share your thoughts and questions with us!

A broad community coalition in San Francisco had the audacity to try again to extend voting rights to minors. The Vote16 ballot measure in the 16th largest US city, earned more than 205,000 votes but finished at 49.2%, just short of the 50% threshold needed to pass. This Charter Amendment won 30,000 more total votes and a higher percentage than the first try in 2016.

The shift is coming in how local elected officials pay attention to demands and dreams of “kids.” What does it say the the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Board of Education members agreed unanimously to put this measure on the ballot? I still am as optimistic about Vote16 campaigns across the country and abroad since my TEDTalk. The testimony by two San Francisco teens still sticks with me:

As a child of an incarcerated adult, my dad doesn’t have the right to vote…I would love to vote on issues that affect my family.

I’m art of the one-third of SF immigrant community, I’m the only one in my household who can have a potential vote.

In neighboring Oakland, a ballot measure to extend voting rights to 16- and 17-years olds for all Board of Education candidates won by a whopping 67 percent. As this coalition website exclaims:

Thanks to the amazing leadership of students across Oakland, youth have won the right to vote in School Board elections!! Thank you to all of you who supported the young people’s movement to center youth power and strengthen democracy!

Extending suffrage to minors will have a ripple effect. Not only will elected officials have reason to listen and respond to this new constituency, but this new found respect will spill over to community leaders, government agencies, etc. which will set in motion more acceptance of youth infusion. Neuroscientific research confirms brain circuitry necessary for cold cognition is mature by mid-adolescence and 16-year-olds are just as capable as adults at “making informed and reasonable political decisions.”

Similar Vote16 campaigns are underway across the cities across the country.

If you have the opportunity to vote for a similar proposal where you live, please share whether you would vote yea or nay!

Tag: Vote16

Youth “Competence” is Game Changer

Additional ResourCes:

Lower Voting Age to 16