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Should 16-Year-Olds Be Allowed to Vote?

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 (Photo by Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

They can’t celebrate with champagne, but the Youth Commission enjoyed a victory on Tuesday when the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a measure for the November ballot that would lower the city’s voting age
to 16. The commission, which heavily promoted the measure, has argued that a lower voting age will increase
voter engagement. We’ll discuss similar legislation that has passed in other cities and explore what voting at 16
would mean for elections and politics.

Related Content and Resources: 

 

Guests:

Jillian Wu, vice chair, San Francisco Youth Commission; senior at Lick Wilmerding High School

Oliver Sanghvi York, junior, Lick Wilmerding High School; co-founder of Vote16 San Francisco and national campaigns

Mindy Romero, director, California Civic Engagement Project

Mark Smith, constitutional lawyer; author, "The Official Handbook of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy"

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