Lowering the Voting Age to 16 years-old
Origin: City Council of Hyattsville, Maryland
Bill Name/Number: Charter Amendment Resolution 2014-04
Link: Click here
YEO Sponsor: Councilmember Patrick Paschall
Summary: In January 2015, Hyattsville, Maryland became the second municipality in the country to lower the
voting age for city elections to 16 years old, nearly two years after its neighboring town of Takoma Park took similar
measures.
Talking Points & Important Information:
• This resolution, which passed the city council, enacts that every person who is a citizen of the United States,
is at least 16 years of age, resides in the state of Maryland, resides within the corporate limits of the city of
Hyattsville, and is registered in accordance with the provisions of the city charter shall be a qualified voter in any
or all city elections.
• Extending suffrage to 16 and 17 year-olds in municipal elections will increase voter turnout by expanding the
number of eligible voters and including more citizens in a grounded community. Furthermore, it acknowledges
that 16 and 17 year olds are already active participants in societal institutions like driving, education, commerce
and employment and enshrines civic participation as another aspect of agency and community participation.
• Research found by both Fair Vote and Politico indicates that there is a “trickle up” effect on civic participation
when the voting age is lowered. When 16 and 17 year-olds engage in civics, conversations about politics and
local issues are focused on known quantities within the home and around the dinner table, unlike 18 year olds
who are just transitioning into new college surroundings.
• Allowing 17-year-olds to vote has precedence in the United States. In Illinois, people this age could vote in
the 2014 primary as long as they would turn 18 in time for the general election – a longstanding rule for
participation in Iowa’s caucuses. In fact, young caucus-goers made a remarkable difference in the 2008
presidential elections when they helped propel President Barack Obama to his Iowa caucus victory in 2007.
There he won an outright majority among those younger than 25, who turned out in huge numbers compared to
the previous election. Without young voters, President Obama never would have reached the White House.
2015 POLICY BOOK
LOCAL
LEVEL
PAGE 15