San Mateo Daily Journal
By Samidha Mishra
Sixteen-year-olds are old enough to drive, they are old enough to pay taxes, and they are even cognitively equal to most 18-year-olds in society. So why can’t they vote?
This question is what Vote16 SMC aims to answer with its nonpartisan initiative to lower the voting age to 16 for local elections in San Mateo County. Its organizers assert that, by allowing 16-year-olds to vote, youth political participation and civic engagement will increase as it will be established as a lifelong habit...
Vote16 began its campaign with full force and alacrity. It is hosting its latest event, called “Be the Change,” with the San Mateo County Youth Commission. It will be in person at Menlo School and is intended to be an interactive forum for civic engagement, discourse and action. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, will be speaking, and attendees will have the chance to participate in “a live debate, collaborate in hackathon-style brainstorms on political issues, and network with like-minded youth.”