Let Us Vote!

Last winter, Nathaniel Esubonteng felt determined. He approached the podium at the city council meeting in Newark, New Jersey, to express his views about how his local school board is run. This was a chance for the junior at Science Park High School to make his voice heard.

School board members have a hand in everything from what students eat in the cafeteria to the types of classes they take. But to vote in a school board election, Newark residents had to be at least 18 years old. Nathaniel and other teens didn’t think that was fair.

In a brief but heartfelt speech, Nathaniel, 17, urged the city’s leaders to lower the voting age to 16 for Newark school board elections.

“We’re at school eight hours a day with no real input in the things that are happening there,” he says. “I want young people to have a seat at the table—to have more control over their futures and the decisions being made about their education.”

Members of Newark’s city council agreed. In January of this year, the council voted unanimously to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections. The decision was influenced significantly by input from Nathaniel and other young people. The historic move makes Newark—with a population of more than 300,000—the largest community in the United States to expand voting rights to young people in more than 50 years.

In the U.S., the voting age for all federal elections is 18. This includes voting in the presidential election, which will take place on November 5, and most local and state elections. But a growing number of 16- and 17-year-olds across the country have been pushing for the right to cast ballots. Some of these teens are involved in leading environmental marches, protests against gun violence, and other demonstrations. Many are also politically active on social media. They want a chance to express their opinions at the polls.

“Teens see that people like them matter to our communities and democracy,” says Abby Kiesa, a researcher who studies youth voting trends at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University in Massachusetts. “These dynamics may motivate youth to find ways to have a voice in their community, such as through voting.”

The voting age for federal elections has stood at 18 since 1971 (see timeline, below). But cities and states have control over their own elections.
They can set their voting age for positions such as mayor, city council member, and other local offices. They just can’t make it higher than 18.

The first U.S. city to lower its voting age to 16 was Takoma Park, Maryland. In 2013, lawmakers gave 16- and 17-year-olds the right to cast ballots in local elections. That was after teens in the town lobbied for voting rights. Since then, young people in Takoma Park have voted at higher rates than all registered voters. In the city’s 2022 election, 63 percent of registered 16- and 17-year-olds voted. That’s compared with 49 percent of all registered voters.

Takoma Park’s success has inspired other teens nationwide. In 2015, young people helped form a national group, Vote16USA, to coordinate similar teen-led efforts to lower the voting age in communities across the country. Over the past several years, they’ve had some success. Sixteen- and 17-year-olds have won the right to vote in a number of other U.S. cities and towns. That includes Riverdale Park, Maryland, in 2018, and Brattleboro, Vermont, in 2023.

Teens in Culver City, California, formed their own branch of Vote16USA, called Vote16CC. They hoped their community would be next. They recently collected signatures on a petition calling for a measure to be included on the ballot in the November election to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections.

In 2022, the measure on the Culver City ballot lost by just 16 votes out of more than 16,000.

Julia Rottenberg, now 18, who was president of Vote16CC until she graduated from Culver City High School last spring, says the loss just motivated the group more.

“Each individual voice really does matter and can make a difference in a community,” she says. “Obviously, change is hard, but if the work wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t be as important.”

The work of Julia and other teen activists fell short again. They were not able to get enough signatures on the petition to force the issue onto the ballot in November. But they vow to try again in the future.

Devon Lawson knows about hard work. The 17-year-old, who attends McKenzie High School in Finn Rock, Oregon, has volunteered on roughly 25 political campaigns since he was in fifth grade.

When Devon was in middle school, he heard about teens in other parts of the country trying to gain the right to vote. Inspired, he decided to try writing a bill to amend Oregon’s constitution to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local and state elections.

In 2022, Devon teamed up with state representative Rob Nosse, who worked with him on drafting the bill. It was eventually introduced to the Oregon Legislature. The bill stalled last year. But Devon isn’t giving up. He is working to get more support for a lower voting age. Some lawmakers are considering reintroducing the bill next year.

For Devon, being able to vote is about having a say in critical issues that his generation will inherit, such as climate change. He doesn’t want to wait until he’s 18 for his opinion to count.

“Sixteen- and 17-year-olds are part of a politically active generation,” Devon told reporters. “We can make informed decisions on the ballot.”

However, many people oppose the idea of lowering the voting age. Critics say the majority of 16- and 17-year-olds don’t know enough about the issues and how the government works to be informed voters.

Others point to scientific findings showing that 16-year-olds’ brains and their decision-making skills aren’t fully developed. This has led many states to raise the age that teens are allowed to do certain things. For example, to drive without restrictions in most states, you have to be 17 or 18. Only a few decades ago, the age was 16 in many places.

However, many people oppose the idea of lowering the voting age. Critics say the majority of 16- and 17-year-olds don’t know enough about the issues and how the government works to be informed voters.

Others point to scientific findings showing that 16-year-olds’ brains and their decision-making skills aren’t fully developed. This has led many states to raise the age that teens are allowed to do certain things. For example, to drive without restrictions in most states, you have to be 17 or 18. Only a few decades ago, the age was 16 in many places.

“I think 18 is a reasonable age [to vote],” John Cosgrove, then a state senator in Virginia, told reporters there in 2022 when he opposed an unsuccessful effort to lower the voting age. “That’s when a person is considered an adult. They can join the military, they can do a lot of different things. But 16- and 17-year-olds are still minors.”

“I think 18 is a reasonable age to vote,” John Cosgrove, then a state senator in Virginia, told reporters there in 2022. He opposed an unsuccessful effort to lower the voting age. “That’s when a person is considered an adult. They can join the military, they can do a lot of different things. But 16- and 17-year-olds are still minors.”

Still, supporters of lowering the voting age say teens deserve a voice. They point out that 16- and 17-year-olds who work pay taxes on their wages, just like adults do.

What’s more, many teens take government and civics classes in high school, where they study how elections work. People in favor of allowing younger teens to cast ballots say it would help them put what they’re learning in the classroom to use in the real world.

That was a big motivator for DJ Yearwood, 17, of Kansas City, Missouri. He’s on a mission to lower the voting age in his state for city and school board elections. Last year, he founded a branch of Vote16USA. That organization, Vote16MO, is made up of 150 student volunteers across Missouri.

DJ says that allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to cast ballots in local elections will help motivate them to vote in federal elections when they’re older. Several studies have shown that the earlier in life people vote for the first time, the more likely voting will become a lifelong habit.

“Once teens have that ability to vote—and if they’re able to begin voting while they’re still learning about civics in school—they’ll be more likely to seek out information themselves and keep voting,” DJ says.

Still, supporters of lowering the voting age say teens deserve a voice. They point out that 16- and 17-year-olds who work pay taxes on their wages, just like adults do.

Many teens take government and civics classes in high school, where they study how elections work. People in favor of allowing younger teens to vote say it would help them put what they’re learning in the classroom into action.

That was a big motivator for DJ Yearwood, 17, of Kansas City, Missouri. He’s on a mission to lower the voting age in his state for city and school board elections. Last year, he founded a branch of Vote16USA. That organization, Vote16MO, is made up of 150 student volunteers across Missouri.

DJ says that allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections will help motivate them to keep voting in federal elections when they’re older. Several studies have shown that the earlier in life people vote for the first time, the more likely voting will become a lifelong habit.

“Once teens have that ability to vote—and if they’re able to begin voting while they’re still learning about civics in school—they’ll be more likely to seek out information themselves and keep voting,” DJ says.

Back in Newark, teens are ready to start voting. Newark election officials are programming the city’s voting registration machines to allow roughly 7,000 16- and 17-year-olds to enroll. They will be able to vote in the city’s school board election next spring.

In the meantime, teens like Nathaniel and his friend Breanna Campbell are working to mobilize as many local 16- and 17-year-olds as possible to exercise their new right.

Both students are members of the Gem Project. That’s an organization in Newark that works to engage young people in community service efforts. Along with other Gem Project members, they’re volunteering at voter registration drives. They are also helping to organize events at which teens can learn more about the candidates.

Breanna, 17, also from Science Park High School, believes school board members need to prioritize mental health services for students. She says she’s “extra motivated” to cast her first ballot.

“Voting is more than a [civic duty],” Breanna says. “It’s a powerful way to shape the world around us and make our democracy more vibrant and inclusive.”