FAQ
GET ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT TEEN VOTE.
HOW DOES THE VOTING AGE GET LOWERED?
WHERE HAS THIS BEEN SUCCESSFUL?
WHAT IS TEEN VOTE CURRENTLY DOING?
On the local level, city council members can pass a charter amendment lowering the voting age to 16. If the amendment passes with a majority of the city council, it would appear on the ballot. If it receives a majority popular vote, then the charter amendment would become law. While this is the general procedure, some counties do not require popular votes to pass a charter amendment, and only require a majority city council vote.
HOW CAN YOU CONTRIBUTE TO TEEN VOTE?
IS LOWERING THE VOTING AGE A PARTISAN ISSUE?
The voting age has been lowered in Takoma Park and Hyattsville, Maryland. Sixteen and 17 year-olds can also vote in school board elections in Berkeley, California. In Takoma Park, voter turnout of 16 and 17 year-olds was four times that of people 18 and older, suggesting the positive effects of lowering the voting age. While these are the only places in America with a lower voting age, there are active movements in San Francisco CA, Pittsburgh PA, Sacramento CA, and now Knoxville TN.
If you live in Knox County or Andersen County, you can join the existing movement by emailing me here. I will connect you with the other members and inform you of upcoming meetings. If you live anywhere else in the United States, you can start a club at your school (Note: in the email, please note your county, state, and age). Starting a club will allow you to gain peer support and organize meetings with your local city council members. If you sign up to start a club, you will receive a starter pack from Teen Vote containing documents of talking points, flyers to print, and additional information specific to your county.
Lowering the voting age is a bipartisan issue that has gained bipartisan support. Therefore, Teen Vote is a bipartisan organization that welcomes members of all political views.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Teen Vote is currently trying to lower the voting age in Knoxville, TN and Andersen County, TN. We are meeting with members of the Andersen county charter commission to discuss the possibility of introducing a charter amendment. As of August 9th, early voting started in Knoxville for city council elections. We are meeting with candidates to discuss if they would support lowering the voting age. We at Teen Vote also want to promote civics education, and are developing curriculum correlated to Tennessee state standards. If you are interested, you can download the curriculum here.