Members of the Boston City Council discussed reducing the legal voting age to 16 and older in their Wednesday meeting.
Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, brought a new draft of the Home Rule petition, labeled Docket 0185, that would allow voting rights to those of 16 and 17 years of age in municipal elections.
“Passage of this Home Rule petition will further develop the interest in civic engagement, voting patterns and, importantly, increase accessibility to the ballot,” said Arroyo.
The petition will ensure individuals registered in municipal elections will also be pre-registered for state and federal elections. The voters would not need to register again after turning 18.
Councilor Julia Mejia co-sponsored the docket with Councilor Kenzie Bok. The pair offered their support for passing the new draft, speaking up from the perspective of the youth.
“We have a lot of young people who are working, oftentimes two jobs just to help support their families, paying taxes, and on the front lines protesting and trying to find ways to have their voices heard,” said Mejia. “Everyday we make decisions on their behalf.”
Bok said the current voting age of 18 is problematic because it is the age that young people are uprooted from their original communities, making them less likely to focus on voting or hold those same deep-rooted ties to their local community.
“Having the chance to start exercising those civic muscles early is really important,” said Bok.
Councilor Liz Breadon quoted a 2020 Boston Globe article that said allowing Massachusetts residents aged 16 and 17 to vote in local elections would be a “natural result” of the recently enhanced civics education curriculum taught in schools.
“Our neighboring municipalities of Somerville and Cambridge have also asked to reduce the voting age,” said Breadon. “So this is something that is a long time in the making.”
Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune said she believes it is important that the City Council takes the initiative to make it more accessible to vote.
“If I had the opportunity to vote when I was 16, when I was in a history class, when I was working at my local community organization … that would have been really powerful … to be an active participant,” she said.
Additional dockets were discussed relating to improvements for youth, including inclusion for non-native-speaking students and disabled students in Boston Public Schools.
Nine councilors remained in agreement with the passing of this docket’s amended new draft and four were in opposition.
The next City Council meeting will be held on Dec. 7 at 12 p.m.
