If you’re sufficiently old to drive, you’re sufficiently old to vote, nearly all of Boston metropolis councilors determined Wednesday, bringing 16-and 17-year-olds one step nearer to enfranchisement within the metropolis.
By a 9-4 vote, councilors handed a petition to permit Boston residents aged 16 and 17 to vote in municipal elections, so long as they meet all different authorized {qualifications}.
“We have a lot of young people who are working — oftentimes two jobs — just to help support their families, paying taxes and on the front lines protesting and trying to find ways to have their voices heard. And every day we make decisions on their behalf,” mentioned Councilor Julia Mejia, who co-sponsored the petition.
Mostly supported by the council’s rising variety of progressive members, the docket now makes its approach to Mayor Michelle Wu’s desk. If Wu indicators off on the house rule petition, it will get handed alongside to the state Legislature.
Mejia expressed some concern in regards to the petition gaining state approval, saying “We know what happens at the State House — most things go there to die.”
“I believe that this is an opportunity for us to organize other municipalities across the state and then create the groundswell of support that this initiative deserves and that is led by young people,” she mentioned.
Several communities, together with Ashfield, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Lowell, Northampton, Shelburne, Somerville and Wendell, have all sought laws to decrease the voting age in municipal elections prior to now.
In 2019, state lawmakers launched twin payments (H 720 and S 389) to grant municipal governments the ability to decrease the voting age of their communities with out individually in search of residence rule petitions.
Dubbed the EMPOWER Act by supporters, each the House and Senate variations of the invoice sat for a couple of 12 months within the Joint Committee on Election Laws earlier than that panel held a public listening to on the proposals. No motion was taken on the finish of the 2019-2020 session.
Boston Councilor Liz Breadon mentioned she hopes to work with the Boston delegation on the State House this upcoming session to cross the regulation.
In the present session, lawmakers launched seven payments that will decrease the voting age throughout the state that haven’t made it to remaining passage with solely about one month left within the two-year session.
The Election Laws Committee forwarded 4 residence rule petitions to decrease the voting age to review this 12 months, for the cities of Northampton, Brookline, Somerville and Wendell. The committee additionally despatched to review the seven statewide payments that will decrease the voting age throughout the state.
The Election Laws Committee’s focus this session was on getting the so-called VOTES Act handed, which made everlasting the mail-in and early voting choices that proved in style throughout the pandemic, mentioned a spokesperson for Sen. Barry Finegold, who serves because the chair of the committee.
Asked if the house rule petitions to decrease voter age necessities or the EMPOWER Act have been on the committee’s to-do listing for the upcoming session, the spokesperson mentioned they might not communicate to the committee’s future filings.
Boston Councilor Kenzie Bok mentioned the Boston residence rule petition would, if handed, assist younger folks develop the behavior of voting at an early age and be taught extra about civic engagement.
“I think that if we give our young folks a chance to start forming that voting habit when they’re 16 or 17, when they’re still rooted in the communities that they lived their whole life in… that’s actually how you build that civic habit that really leads to lifelong civic engagement,” she mentioned.
The councilors at-large have been cut up, with Michael Flaherty and Erin Murphy voting in opposition to the petition, and Mejia and Ruthzee Louijeune voting in favor of the measure. Other sure votes included Gabriela Coletta, Brian Worrell, Ricardo Arroyo, Kendra Lara, Tania Fernandes Anderson, Bok and Breadon. City Council President Ed Flynn and Councilor Frank Baker voted in opposition to the measure.
— Sam Drysdale / State House News Service
Source: www.bostonherald.com”