The Daily Delegate

Over 21 percent of California’s population is under the age of 18, and don’t have a say in what happens in their city. This Bill will lower the voting age in local areas to the age of 16, allowing youth to harness their voice and influence their immediate community.

Cities, towns, and neighborhoods are deeply impacted by local laws, yet minors are excluded from having a say in their community. Take the Palisades fire as an example. Many homes were lost due to less attention to wildfires and dead brush. Several teenagers had to watch their lives burn down, and they couldn’t do anything about it. This could’ve been different if they had the choice to vote for the mayor, whose platform was to prevent wildfires. Minors are residents too, and they deserve to have a say in what happens around them politically.

The fact is, 16 year-olds are more than capable of voting. Many students are already involved in organizations that involve the government, or at least have an understanding of the way voting works. Some may argue that 16 year-olds are not mentally capable, however, according to Laura Wray-Lake, at Pace, “…by age 16, adolescents demonstrate adult-like levels of cognitive capacities, including working memory, verbal fluency, planning, and logical reasoning…”. This is demonstrated by multiple studies. Therefore, 16 year olds, are in fact mentally capable, and should be given a chance to express their voices.

Furthermore, if, and once this bill is put in place, there are many changes we will see. We will observe that there will be a higher voter turnout, as adolescents will learn more about these processes through engaging in local elections. We will also see an increase in civilians’ overall satisfaction with their community. The changes that are made locally, do heavily impact the youth, as they make up the majority of people staying in these areas. The youth cares for these communities, and in turn, will change them for the better.

In conclusion, this bill will encourage the civic engagement of the youth in our State. The youth today are the voices of our future. 16 year-olds experience what the average adult does, such as driving, working, and, for some, even parenting, and yet, they still can’t vote on local matters. Allowing the adolescents of our society to have a say in government will create a better format for the future, not just for them, but for the body of their communities.