Massachusetts Lawmakers Considering Bill Permitting 16-Year-Olds to Vote

Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections if cities and towns choose to extend the voting age.

Lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Election Laws announced that they would be holding a public hearing at the Massachusetts statehouse Wednesday on several bills regarding voting rights for 16 and 17-year-olds.

The hearing would include a discussion of two bills that would allow “every citizen 16 or 17 years of age, who is a resident in the city or town where he or she claims the right to vote” to be placed on voter rolls for municipal elections.

The bills would not lower the voting age statewide, but it would give cities and towns greater freedom to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote without having to seek permission from the state legislature.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) is one of the supporters of this legislation, and she has proposed lowering the voting age at the federal level from 18 to 16.

Those who oppose the plan argue that 16-year-olds are not mature enough to be trusted with a vote.

Another bill being considered Wednesday is the Home Rule Petition from Somerville, which, if passed, would make it the first municipality in Massachusetts to extend voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds at the local level.

Last May, Somerville’s city council voted unanimously to lower the voting age to 16 in local elections after taking recommendations from an eight-person task force meant to study the issue.