The D.C. Council indefinitely delayed action on legislation to lower the voting age to 16, dealing a blow to efforts to make the nation’s capital the first jurisdiction to allow minors to cast ballots in presidential contests. Lawmakers voted 7 to 6 to table the bill, imperiling its chances before an end-of-year deadline to pass legislation. The voting bill hit a setback after a pair of lawmakers who helped introduce the legislation — Trayon White Sr. (D-Ward 8) and Anita Bonds (D-At Large) — flipped positions and declined to vote for it. … Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) had backed the proposal but distanced herself from the measure before the vote.
The bill would have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to cast ballots in the District starting in 2020. Census data suggests more than 10,000 new voters were eligible.
Several smaller cities allow minors to vote in local elections, including Takoma Park, Riverdale Park, Greenbelt and Hyattsville in Maryland.
But no other community in the country allows minors to vote in federal elections.
Full Article: D.C. Council declines to take up bill to lower voting age to 16 – The Washington Post.