Teens can vote for school board in Oakland, Berkeley -- but will they?
- Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 17, 2024
- 1 min read
Sixteen- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote for school board members in Oakland and Berkeley -- a California first -- reports EdSource.
But will they turn out?
Students aren't sure they're going to bother, writes Shomik Mukherjee for the Bay Area News Group.
“My parents think I should vote,” said Xavier Montgomery, a sophomore at Oakland Tech. “I’m not sure, though — still making up my mind.”
“Oakland’s youth are at the forefront of movements regarding gun violence, environmental justice, and Black Lives Matter,” the Oakland ballot measure’s “pro” argument stated in 2020. “They need representation to advocate for themselves where it impacts them most: their education.”
Tsneem Alshalyan, a 17-year-old senior, is interested in a ceasefire in Gaza -- and more menstrual products in restrooms.
Four of Oakland’s seven school board seats are up for election this year, while all of Berkeley "will vote on the five candidates running for two open school board seats in a single race," writes Mukherjee.
Turnout is often low in school board races. Advocates hope younger voters will change that.
Takoma Park, Maryland and Brattleboro, Vermont lets 16- and 17-year-olds vote in all local elections. Newark reserves youth voting for school board elections.
Advocates hope that this move will boost overall turnout in school board races, traditionally characterized by low that's not my neighbor participation. It’s a test of whether extending the vote to younger populations can drive a cultural shift toward greater civic engagement in local governance.
"...a 17-year-old senior, is interested in a ceasefire in Gaza -- and more menstrual products in restrooms." Yikes!
Was this student representative or did they intentionally pick someone with silly interests? High school students are just about the last people on earth who should be advocating for international issues (given that they know nothing of history or politics) and I wonder how horrified the student would be to find out that women used to be on their own when it came to feminine products.
I'll bet it really increases the quality of the debate, now that candidates have to pander to a load of high school kids, half of which (according to a recent article here) can't even read.
What's the Venn diagram of people who say that 16-year-olds should be able to vote and people who say that the human brain isn't fully developed until 26 (or 30)?