Washington, DC considers bill that would drop voting age to 16

CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - The council for the District of Columbia is pondering a proposal that would allow those sixteen years of age or older to vote.

The "Youth Vote Amendment Act of 2018" would allow teens who are 16 or older to register and vote in local and national elections.

It was introduced during an April 10 legislative meeting and states the purpose of the bill:

"To amend the District of Columbia Election Code of 1955 to allow sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds to vote."

It also says D.C.'s public or charter schools would distribute voter registration applications to eligible teens.

Takoma Park, Md. was the first city in the U.S. to lower its local elections voting age to 16 in 2013. Since then, several other Maryland suburbs and Barkeley, Calif. have followed suit. If the D.C. Council passed the bill, it would make history as the first to allow youth to vote in federal elections.

"Young people all across the nation are speaking up on issues of national importance, yet they are not able to vote," said Alex Koroknay-Palicz, National Youth Rights Association spokesperson. "This silences intelligent, passionate Americans who care about their communities and would turnout to vote if they had the chance."

The bill has drawn attention from both Washington, D.C. and other communities across the country.