With the Cambridge municipal elections approaching on November 5 comes an important opportunity to draw new attention to the issue of youth voting. While they represent the least reliable voting demographic by age in the United States, 18 to 24-year-olds have a significant stake in both local and national elections. Youth voters will experience the long-term effects of policy, so increasing youth voter turnout should be a top priority for our government.
Voting in local elections is particularly important for young people, yet voter turnout in municipal elections is especially low. A 2016 study conducted by Portland State University found that turnout in 10 of America’s 30 largest cities was less than 15 percent. This is even more pronounced in terms of poor youth voter turnout, as the study also found the median voter age to be 57. Often, municipal elections are decided by only a few votes, and those votes rarely include young people. Yet it is essential to vote in these elections: municipal elected officials make decisions for entire local communities, ranging from public safety to taxes and public education, which have significant effects on young people’s daily lives.
If we want to increase voter turnout and especially youth voter turnout in municipal elections, we need to consider lowering the voting age to 16. While that may sound like a radical proposal, it has already been done in Maryland three times. Maryland cities Takoma Park, Hyattsville, and Greenbelt have lowered the voting age in their municipal elections and are already seeing promising results. A case study from Vote16USA found that Takoma Park and Hyattsville actually saw higher turnout among registered 16 and 17-year-olds than among older voters. One reason for high youth voter turnout might relate to students’ education, as anecdotal evidence from that same study shows that students often learn the importance of local voting from their government classes. The fact that students, unlike adults, are still learning about the value of civic engagement in their schools might make getting 16 and 17-year-olds to vote a promising way to increase youth and overall voter turnout.
That is why organizations like FairVote are pushing for cities to lower the voting age by promoting education campaigns at a local level. The organization also provides reasons for lowering the voting age that include the effects of increased civic participation and establishing early voting habits. If we are to increase voter participation overall, catching students while they are still in school and more receptive to voting’s importance seems like an effective solution.
So when November 5 rolls around, students should remember to vote — and to that end, consider voting for candidates who support greater civic participation from youth voters!
Image Credit: Flickr / kgroovy