Teens work, drive and pay taxes. But should they vote? This California city will soon decide
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Set us as preferred Arlo Meighan-Thiel is 16, and he’s ready to vote.Not in two years, when he becomes a legal adult.
No, the Culver City High School junior believes he is mature and well-informed enough to cast a ballot now.In Culver City, a local ballot measure before voters — adult voters, that is — in the Nov.3 election could eventually give 16- and 17-year-olds such as him the right to cast ballots in city and school board elections.
If it passes, it would make the Westside city one of just a few municipalities nationwide, and among a handful in California, to expand voting rights to people under 18.“I feel really strongly that 16- and 17-year-olds are very capable to vote and make a calm, educated decision for a school board and city elections,” said Meighan-Thiel, a policy and advocacy leader for the student group Vote16 Culver City.“It would be amazing for us, the people who go to school five days a week, to have a say who represents us on the school board.” Meighan-Thiel had just a few minutes when he spoke with The Times last week.
The teenager was busy, as are all of the youth involved with Vote16 Culver City, a lunchtime advocacy group with members juggling extracurriculars, homework, college applications and jobs.Meighan-Thiel, a pitcher and first baseman for the high school baseball team had just wrapped up practice and was about to go canvassing, knocking on doors throughout Culver City, trying to persuade people to support the initiative.
Measure YV, as it is formally called, proposes an amendment to the Culver City charter that would allow youth voters to participate only in school board and municipal elections.They would not be able to vote in county, state or federal contests.This is the second time the youth-vote initiative has been considered in Culver City, where a similar measure fail...