3 Groups Working to Lower Voting Age in U.S.

As the number of people in favor of lowering the voting age grows, groups are organizing in an effort to start at the local level.

Takoma Park, Maryland was influenced by several organizations when a proposal was made to drop the voting age to 16 in 2013. The initiative was successful, and for the first time in the history of the United States, 16-year-olds were permitted to cast ballots, The Washington Post reported.

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Hyattsville, Maryland decreased their voting age to 16 earlier this year following Takoma Park’s move.

Most recently Battlesboro, Vermont, and San Francisco have been looking into decreasing their minimum suffrage ages, according to The San Francisco Examiner.

Here are some groups working to lower the voting age.

1. National Youth Rights Association
The NYRA has chapters in New York and California promoting activism and debate on decreasing the suffrage age and has online resources available for those interested in the topic. It is also an outspoken group on the drinking age and curfew restrictions.

2. FairVote
This organization worked in Takoma Park and Hyattsville in a push to decrease the voting age in these locations, and it continues its work to do so elsewhere. FairVote provides online information and resources on the topic as well as other progressive voting reformations. The group also conducts research and analysis of elections.

3. United Teen Equality Center
Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, this center serves as a place for teenagers to find refuge from gang violence and at risk conditions. Additionally, the UTEC has been an outspoken voice locally about decreasing the voting age to 16, Pearson OLE reported.

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