Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel | Wikimedia
A Vermont town of 7,300 has become the first in the US where 16-year-olds can vote in municipal elections and hold the highest elected offices, after the state legislature overrode the governor’s veto of the town’s charter change. “This may stem the tide of youth moving out of town,” said Kurt Daims, director of Brattleboro Common Sense, who began working on the youth vote campaign in 2018 when she was 16. “Vermont is an aging state and we're a state that really prides ourself on democracy and participation," said Rep. Emilie Kornheiser. "I think the more we can do to bring youth into that process so that they learn the skills and practice the skills of participation and politics with sort of a lower case 'p' the stronger our communities will be and the more I think folks will feel tied to their communities." A half dozen cities and towns in California and Maryland have lowered the voting age to 16 for either all local elections or school board elections, according to the National Youth Rights Association.
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