In cities across the USA, high school students and other young adults allies have been trained and invited into Vote 16 movements as advocates for lowering the voting age to 16. In August of 2025, on the UCLA Luskin School Campus, dozens of young civic and electoral reform proponents gathering to share their successes and challenges. Serving as co-leaders in campaigns to lower the voting age, in some cites for all municipal elections ( e.g. Albany, California and Takoma Park, Maryland), and in others for School Board elections (e.g. Oakland, CA and Newark, New Jersey) young folks shared their messaging, their strategies, and their information and outreach efforts once municipal policies were enacted to lower the voting age. This National Convening, led by LaJuan Allen was a treasure trove of sharing and celebration
We who have volunteered for Vote 16 NYC-NY State have had initial successes in gaining support for NY State Legislation ( Hoylman-Sigal in the State Senate and Carroll in the Assembly) and NY City Council resolutions of support ( Abreu and Brewer) which when passed will lower the voting age to 16 for New York City and New York State elections. As we enter the year 2026, we are looking to expand our youth involvement, by training high school students and other youth to become Vote16 Advocates. We seek to expand our support coalition to include additional youth service agencies, civic reform groups, and others who seek to join us as allies. We are planning advocacy days at the NY City Council and the NY State Legislature, hopefully for the Spring of 2026.
For further information on the campaign, visit our website at vote16nyc-nys.com or email Al Kurland at [email protected].
Recently, Great Britain has lowered its voting age to 16 for its national elections. Former Presidential candidate Kamala Harris has joined the call, citing its necessity for 16 and 17 year old teens as they face multiple crisis conditions for the environment, with political polarization and manipulative manipulation, and with the fragmentation of communities and electoral participation. Mary Parker Follett, who was a community and social justice advocate living in the early 1900’s had a different vision about democracy and its higher ideals: “ Democracy is an infinitely inclusive spirit. We have an instinct for democracy because we have an instinct for wholeness…democracy is the self-creating process of life, projecting itself into the visible world.” We can do better for our nation, yes we can !! Let us promote and create this intergenerational electoral partnership by inviting the young into the world of Prime Time Citizenship.
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