The D.C. Council Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety passed the bill to lower the voting age to 16 in D.C. with a unanimous 3-0 vote Thursday. With Committee approval, the bill will now be placed on the agenda of the Nov. 13 City Council Legislative Meeting, where it will be voted on by the full council. Vote16DC, a coalition of youth, adult allies, and organizations that support granting voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in the District, has spent months leading up to this committee vote mobilizing community support and educating Councilmembers on the merits of lowering DC’s voting age to 16.
“I’m really glad to see that the committee voted for this bill,” said Chloe Ifill, a Vote16DC Youth Leader and 16-year-old Ward 7 resident who attends Woodrow Wilson High School. “We’ve worked hard to get the word out by talking to other youth and meeting with Councilmembers, and it’s great to see that our voice is being heard and valued.”
The Youth Vote Amendment Act of 2018 was introduced in Aprilby Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, and a total of eight members of D.C. Council have announced support for the measure.
Full Article: D.C. Council committee approves bill to lower D.C. voting age to 16 | WJLA.