Vote 16 Passes in VT Town! Organizers speak Today at our Summer Meeting
Join us today to hear from the organizers who lowered the voting age to 16 in Brattleboro, Vermont at our Vote 16 Summer Meeting!
Dear Friends,
Last week saw a HUGE win, with the voting age lowered to 16 for voters in municipal elections in Brattleboro, Vermont. We are ecstatic to have the organizers of this effort from Brattleboro Commense Sense join us at our Vote 16 quarterly call today, to share their efforts.
This win occurred after Vermont’s state Legislature overrode the governor’s veto of Brattleboro’s proposed charter change, which lowered the voting age. State representatives pointed to the states aging population as rationale for why “[we should] bring youth into that process so that they learn the skills and practice the skills of participation and politics.” The charter change also allows 16- and 17-year-olds to be elected and serve on the community’s selectboard.
You can read the full quotes and more about this effort in an AP News Article from earlier this week. Congratulations to our colleagues in Vermont! There is so much we can learn from their work.
If you’re interested in learning more about this and other ongoing efforts, join our Vote 16 Research Network Summer Meeting today, 6/29 at 3:30 pm ET. Zoom link to join: https://umd.zoom.us/j/4353643115
Best,
Jahnavi Rao
Jahnavi Rao is a Senior Fellow at the University of Maryland Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and Founder of New Voters.
What a triumph over the second veto by the Governor. Any chance this presentation can be recorded for those of us who cannot make it? Again. bravo!