Voter Essentials
| 4.14.21

Should the voting age for federal elections be lowered to 16?
Do you support or oppose reducing the voting age in federal elections to 16?
By Eric Revell, Countable News
What’s the story?
- On March 3, 2021, the House voted to reject an amendment to the For the People Act (H.R. 1) offered by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) that would have lowered the voting age in federal elections from 18 to 16. The congresswoman spoke on the floor and said the voting age should be lowered because:
"Our young people are organizing, mobilizing, and calling us to action. They are at the forefront of social movements and have more than earned inclusion in our democracy."
- Pressley’s amendment failed 125-302 and all Republicans were opposed, but the amendment was supported by a majority of the Democratic caucus, with 125 lawmakers (or 57% of Democrats who voted) casting a vote in favor while 93 Democrats voted against it.
- That’s a wider margin of support within the Democratic caucus than when the House voted on Pressley’s amendment in the last Congress. At that time, Democrats voted 125-108 in favor of the amendment while it failed 126-305 overall.
- As was the case in Tuesday’s vote on allowing felons to vote while they’re in prison, Democratic leaders ended up on both sides of the roll call. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) voted against the amendment, while Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-MA) were in favor.
- Lowering the federal voting age would open the door to treating 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in other aspects of public life. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) spoke in opposition to the proposal, which he called "a horrible amendment" and added:
"I find it interesting that our friends across the aisle don't want to have 16 and 17-year-olds tried as adults when they commit violent adult crimes."
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / adamkaz)
The Latest
-
Why are local elections so important? Take our quiz!GET STARTED: read more...
-
What’s in the Georgia election law? Voter ID changes and moreBy Eric Revell, Countable News What’s the story? A recently enacted Georgia election law known as the Election Integrity Act of read more...
-
Georgia Republicans pass sweeping voting restrictions - should more states?By Josh Herman, Countable News What's the story? As of April 2021, Georgia is the first 2020 battleground state to pass sweeping read more...