Voting At 16? Newark May Lower Age For School Board Elections

NEWARK, NJ — If a 16-year-old is mature enough to learn about racism, gun safety, reproductive health and taxation, why can’t they vote, too? That’s the rallying cry behind a movement to lower the voting age for local school board elections in Newark.

On Wednesday, the Newark City Council introduced an ordinance that would lower the voting age for school board elections from 18 to 16. The ordinance is scheduled for a vote on Jan. 10.

Only about 3 percent of registered voters turned out for the city’s last school board election, which also included a vote on the annual school budget. See Related: Garcia, Council, James-Frison Win Spots On Newark School Board

If it’s approved, the law would add an estimated 7,257 teens – mostly people of color – to the local voter rolls, according to the Newark-based New Jersey Institute For Social Justice (NJISJ).

The idea of lowering the voting age has gained some steam in recent years, although not everyone is on board with the idea.

A study from 2012 said that the main argument made against lowering the voting age is that young people under 18 “lack the ability and motivation to participate effectively in the electoral process.”

Another study authored by a professor of law at Boston University in 2020 said there are two main risks to lowering the voting age to 16: giving politicians and lobbyists more access to juveniles, and undermining the “protective commitments” that are made to youth in school, in the justice system and in the child welfare system.

But supporters of lowering the voting age are challenging the assumption that a 16-year-old is too immature to be trusted with an enormous responsibility such as voting.

“Research shows that 16- and 17-year-olds are not only neurologically and socially mature enough to vote responsibly but are also well-informed and engaged in political issues,” the NJISJ argues.

“Eighteen as a minimum voting age is an arbitrary barrier that restricts the political contribution of young individuals,” the group adds.

“From the suppression of learning the truth about race and racism, to gun safety and more, our 16- and 17-year-olds have never been more directly affected by school board policies, yet they have no meaningful say in who makes them,” NJISJ president Ryan Haygood said.

“This is what democracy looks like,” Haygood added.

City Council President LaMonica McIver, a sponsor of the ordinance, said that the proposed voting change would be “good for our young people, good for Newark and good for New Jersey.”

The proposal has also gained the support of Mayor Ras Baraka.

“I’m very proud to see Newark take the lead on this issue,” Baraka said. “Democracy is stronger when more people participate, and bringing younger people into the fold, who have so much at stake, is a great idea.”

LOWERING THE VOTING AGE IN NEW JERSEY

Earlier this year, the NJISJ released a report that outlines the arguments for lowering the voting age to 16 for state elections in New Jersey. Read More: NJ Should Lower Its Voting Age To 16 – Here's Why, Advocates Say

The report included testimony from several teens who would be impacted, such as college student Lelah Tekhna.

“If kids are old enough to be forced to give birth, they should have the right to vote for or against the policies affecting them,” Tekhna said.

Another argument for lowering the voting age? Taxation without representation, an unnamed high school student told the NJISJ.

“16- and 17-year-olds are old enough to work and be taxed, but currently have no say in laws or policies that affect them,” the youth said.

Other young supporters of the campaign include high school student Sam Altman, who urged Baby Boomers to remember their own experience during the Vietnam War. The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971.

“The students in the Vietnam era protested to lower the voting age to 18 because 18-year-olds were being sent off to die without a voice,” Altman said. “Well now, 16- and 17-year-olds are being killed and attacked literally and figuratively without a seat at the table. They are pawns on the political table, without a means to protect themselves.”

• See Related: Lower Voting Age To 16, Green Party Senate Candidate In NJ Says
• See Related: More Essex County Teens Join NJ Movement For 16-Year-Olds To Vote
• See Related: Belleville's Youngest-Ever BOE Member: 'My Age DOES Matter'

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