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California lawmakers propose lowering voting age to 14
JIM WASSERMAN
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO - Millions of California's teenagers would become the nation's first to vote under a proposed constitutional amendment introduced Monday by a 71-year-old state senator.
Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, proposed the idea alongside three other lawmakers, saying the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society makes today's teens better informed than generations of their predecessors.
Coming on the heels of an expected record low turnout among adults in the March 2 election, Vasconcellos would give 16-year-olds a half vote and 14-year-old a quarter vote in state elections beginning in 2006.
The idea, formally called "Training Wheels for Citizenship," first requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature to appear on this November's ballot.
The California suggestion comes 33 years after the United States lowered its voting age from 21 to 18, and amid a fledgling youth movement in the U.S. and other nations to lower the voting age. Supporters say Israel allows 17-year-olds to vote in local elections, while Austria and Germany allow 16-year-olds to vote in some local elections. A bill in California letting 17-year-olds vote in primary elections when they will be 18 years old for the general election has languished.
"People who are given opportunity when it counts often live up to it," said Vasconcellos, flanked by nearly 40 teenagers from across the state.
"When we gave the vote to those who didn't own property, then to women, then to persons of all colors, we added to the richness of our Democratic dialogue and our own nation's integrity and its model for the world," he said, calling it time to further extend the vote.
Student supporters said the idea could give them a say in issues such as education funding and bring new voices to a California electorate now largely dominated by older Caucasians.
"If we could vote, politicians would see us as votes, not just kids, and they would take our issues seriously," said Robert Reynolds, a student at Berkeley High School.
"We feel that many problems that are created in our community by the youth, such as vandalism, violence, gangs to name a few, are direct results of the youth striving to be heard and striving to have a voice, but being unable to share that in a positive way," added Mark Murphy of Santa Rosa, a Montgomery High School student.
Vasconcellos said the reason for not giving teenagers a full vote was "strategic. "If I said 16 full and 14 full, I think it wouldn't have much legs." But he added, "In my heart I think 16-year-olds should be given a full vote."
Originally posted by Zhukov
I would say 25 at the most because of Article 1 Section 2 of the Constitution.
Originally posted by kcmcdonald
the 18-21 group(my age group) has the lowest voter turn out in all the demographics. Most of my friends don't even vote. They say they really don't care it's the same with a dem or a repo in office. I try to tell them other wise but they just start arguning and nothing gets done. They sure do love to bitch about bush though, event hough none of them voted in 2000, i did though and i voted for bush and im damn proud of it.
To the point, 18 in my opion is boderline to young to vote, however 18 year olds can be drafted so it is right to give them a choice in who is thier leader. anything younger than 18 is a disaster. these kids no nothing of issues and of current events. They'll jsut vote the way some lame ass celebrtiy says to vote or the way MTV tells them to vote, either way an uniformed vote is jsut as bad if not worse than a no vote.
I guess swaying adults with their inane arguments has become too tedious for some California democrats and they've decided to focus of the more malleable members of our society.
California lawmakers propose lowering voting age to 14
JIM WASSERMAN
Associated Press
SACRAMENTO - Millions of California's teenagers would become the nation's first to vote under a proposed constitutional amendment introduced Monday by a 71-year-old state senator.
Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, proposed the idea alongside three other lawmakers, saying the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society makes today's teens better informed than generations of their predecessors.
Coming on the heels of an expected record low turnout among adults in the March 2 election, Vasconcellos would give 16-year-olds a half vote and 14-year-old a quarter vote in state elections beginning in 2006.
The idea, formally called "Training Wheels for Citizenship," first requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature to appear on this November's ballot.
The California suggestion comes 33 years after the United States lowered its voting age from 21 to 18, and amid a fledgling youth movement in the U.S. and other nations to lower the voting age. Supporters say Israel allows 17-year-olds to vote in local elections, while Austria and Germany allow 16-year-olds to vote in some local elections. A bill in California letting 17-year-olds vote in primary elections when they will be 18 years old for the general election has languished.
"People who are given opportunity when it counts often live up to it," said Vasconcellos, flanked by nearly 40 teenagers from across the state.
"When we gave the vote to those who didn't own property, then to women, then to persons of all colors, we added to the richness of our Democratic dialogue and our own nation's integrity and its model for the world," he said, calling it time to further extend the vote.
Student supporters said the idea could give them a say in issues such as education funding and bring new voices to a California electorate now largely dominated by older Caucasians.
"If we could vote, politicians would see us as votes, not just kids, and they would take our issues seriously," said Robert Reynolds, a student at Berkeley High School.
"We feel that many problems that are created in our community by the youth, such as vandalism, violence, gangs to name a few, are direct results of the youth striving to be heard and striving to have a voice, but being unable to share that in a positive way," added Mark Murphy of Santa Rosa, a Montgomery High School student.
Vasconcellos said the reason for not giving teenagers a full vote was "strategic. "If I said 16 full and 14 full, I think it wouldn't have much legs." But he added, "In my heart I think 16-year-olds should be given a full vote."
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/the_valley/8136780.htm
