Bill To Lower Voting Age To 14 Passes Senate Committee

VacavilleNews.com ^ | 2:02 am PT, Friday, May 7, 2004 | Bay City News Service

[musical_airman]

A bill designed to get youth more involved in the elections process passed the state Senate Committee on Elections and Reappointment on Wednesday.

SB 1606 by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-San Jose, would lower the state's legal voting age to 14. The catch is that it would take four 14 or 15 year olds to make up a whole vote. The proposed constitutional amendment would give 14- and 15-year-olds 1/4 of a full vote, while 16- and 17-year-olds would get 1/2 a full vote.

Vasconcellos dubbed his bill 'Training Wheels for Citizenship,' and says it is designed to encourage early and regular voter participation among young Californians by affording them a real live stake in the political process.

'It is so sad that so many of our young people today are deserting our voting ranks in ever larger numbers,' Vasconcellos said.

'They are simply not feeling engaged enough to attract them into the regular practice and habit of voting, to participate in their own self-determination. And self-determination is the glory and thrill of our American way of government, and of life itself.'

While the legislation has received support from the National Youth Rights Association, opponents fear that granting only fractions of votes to under-18 voters could constitute a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

In addition, concerns have risen about the logistics involved in conducting and administering an election incorporating fractionalized votes.

The increase of ballots for the three separate age categories, as well as costs associated with development, certification, procurement and installation of vote counting software to accurately apportion the votes cast is a large part of implementing the bill. Further training and added responsibilities for already overburdened poll workers is the other part, opponents say.

Statistics have shown that voter turnout among those in the 18-25 age group is the lowest of any age demographic, signaling a problem that Vasconcellos says will only be magnified in the years to come.

The senator believes that if young citizens are given the responsibility of voting and introduced to it in a graduated, apprentice-like manner, they will be more likely to participate in the political process. His supporters agree.

'What Senator Vasconcellos is doing will empower youth in California and will inspire youth across the country,' said National Youth Rights Association President Alex Kroknay-Palixz.

'It's great that the senator realizes that young people have political opinions and deserve political representation.'

The Committee on Elections and Reappointment approved the bill Wednesday and referred to the Senate Rules Committee.

[GiveEmDubya]

They don't have political opinions and do not deserve political representation.

Well, most either don't care of have half-assed feeling based opinions (see: liberal) that make no sense when applied in reality. As far as the representation, you don't necessarily need a vote to have your voice heard by someone. By age 14, I was going to Republican fundraisers and having lunch with my congresswoman. But only the smart ones would even try to get in on the process.

Even though I would lose the right to vote for 3 years, I'm beginning to think I wouldn't mind having the voting age go back up to 21. There is a definite lack of maturity needed to make big electoral decisions amongst my age group and it's almost universal amongst people as young as 14. I see it every day. Some can't even pretend to be mature, let alone act that way.

The other day I asked my 7 and 8th grade students if they thought the bill was a good idea and of course they were all for it.

Of course they did. It's called the "Sounds Good Even Though It Makes No Logical Sense" principle. Happens when people don't step back and connect the dots...

...Which is most of the time in this country.

[Nowhere Man]

Really, you must be joking. This is so amazingly stupid I just thought I had to post it. Laugh it up. Or, be mad. Or, both. Maybe Kalifornia will fall off one day......

Man, this thing actually passed committee?! You know what, I admit this is my dark side talking but maybe we do need a "10.5" out there, trouble is the good people out there would be affected as well. Better yet, if the Mecha/Aztlan people want it, they can have it! B-P



All I can add is that it is time for the "Glenn Beck Duct Tape" to "wrap my head so when it explodes, I still have all the pieces."

[LynnHam]

35% of California voters are registered Republicans. That probably puts the number well above the population of the entire state of Georgia. So save your condemnations for the leftists who deserve it

I think they forgot Republicans and Christians have more children!!!!

[SamAdams76]

Does this mean that 14-year-olds will be able to buy 3-oz beers? Then when they turn 16, they can move up to the 6-ounce ones. This could be a real boon for the beer industry. Smaller bottles, bigger profit margins.

[Wombat101]

I guess that's why your average teenager hangs out in packs around the H&R Block office each April, right?

[bluefish]

Heh.. Now that I go back and look at the point I made, it looks like I said the founder of this forum was Ronald Reagan rather than Jim Robinson. I intended to make that "...the founder of this forum (Jim Robinson) AND the greatest President ever (Ronald Reagan)..."

[jwalsh07]

The proposed constitutional amendment would give 14- and 15-year-olds 1/4 of a full vote, while 16- and 17-year-olds would get 1/2 a full vote.

LOL, is it the air or the water?

[Libertina]

If this new voting "right" passes, these "youths" will sue big-time for reparations because they were only considered "1/4 th of a person."

[musical_airman]

That's not a terrible idea, kindo of like Starship Troopers (and I don't mean that ridiculous movie). But you still have to be really careful with things like that. On the plus side, however, it would remove a significant portion of the collegiate nut-job vote and about all of those who don't pay any taxes.

[musical_airman]

How in the hell does one get the title "the Johnny Appleseed of self esteem"?!?!?

[fso301]

Uh . . . that would probably include the party that has a lot of evangelical Christians.

I'm unfamiliar with California demographics but I always thought an evangelical was a term generally applied to certain Protestant groups. I also understood that most large Protestant groups do not forbid contraception wheras Catholics do. As a result, Protestants will tend to have lower birth rates than their Catholic counterparts.

I also understand Mormons do not allow contraception either. Therefore Mormons like Catholics would tend to benefit.

Ultimately, the party with higher birthrates will benefit the most.

[Major_Risktaker]

How in the hell does one get the title "the Johnny Appleseed of self esteem"?!?!?

I guess "Johnny V." is helping all of those poor kids with single parents and no self esteem gang bangers by placing the power of "THE VOTE" in their heads.

Johnny V. is the "Johnny Appleseed of PANDERING"!

This bill will never pass.

[DoctorMichael]

I just feel that those who SHOULD have some 'say' in the laws that are passed by a government are those that have SHOULD some stake in that government and country in which they live. Property ownership is one criteria, the risking of one's life for that society/country/government is another that comes to mind.

I am reminded of the phrase............'Democratic governments exist only until their people learn that they can vote themselves money' [/mangled paraphrase]. The welfare classes and parasites of all types would be excluded from voting, and therefore their parasitism.

Just an idea that makes one helluva more sense than the nonsensical crap in the article. As I said, I'm trying to be rational {LOL}.

[Ditter]

The Onion can sure come up with some funny stuff! I am laughing my a** off!

[TheDon]

NAMBLA Alert

[Professional Engineer]

Sure it's asinine. If the stakes weren't so high, it would be fun to watch the democreeps desparate attempts to grab and retain power.

[sweetliberty]

Great, so now your kids can vote you off the island. Must be something in the air...or water. The left coast liberals are a special breed of lunatics.

[PISANO]

This is so amazingly stupid

Psssst......It is California!!