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.

[visualops]

a Democrat politician will do almost anything to ensure or strengthen the odds of his reelection

[azhenfud]

"Maybe Kalifornia will fall off one day......"

Or rot off. "Califoreignia, there you go!"

[DoughtyOne]

Why not seven year olds with one/tenth of a vote? I've got a better idea. Anyone stupid enough to support this idea, from a state leadership position should lose their right to vote, and hold office.

[festus]

;Oh no. Now the Olsen twins will be able to vote.

Twice !

[Teacher317]

Of course, the day after it is passed, the 1/4 and 1/2 thing are dropped for Equal Protection claims. The Dems truly are desperate.

[blackdog]

And exactly how will 14 year olds get to the polls to exercise this new right? Oh, for the sake of convenience they will make them vote at school...Ruh-Roh!

[kellynla]

Proof positive that the idiots we have in Sacramento don't have the sense God gave a jackass.

Instead of using their time on more productive issues like reducing the cost of state government, lowering our taxes and balancing the state budget, these morons waste the time and money of California taxpayers with this stupid nonsense.

[macrahanish #1]

I've asked groups of kids to name their two United States Senators. I've probably asked this of 200+ kids.
About 10 of them could name one. NONE of them could name both. Why should the vote be extended to allow voting by people who display this ignorance?

[macrahanish #1]

I clicked on the link you provided.
My eyes melted.

[Kozak]

Dogs should get 1/8 of a vote, and cats 1/12th.

Yeah but mountain lions and sea lions should get 2 votes each as endangered species.

This idea has great potential to redress former injustice. Just think, 3 votes for each Indian, 2 for each black instead of reparations. Mexicans legal or illegal 2.5 for stealing California from Mexico after they stole it from the Indians. Chinese 1.5 for past discrimination. the mind boggles. They could have a computer program where you input your vital statistics and it calculates your vote based on age, gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation, income, education, ethnicity and disability. Just think the ideal demographic could be a black/ Indian, Hispanic surnamed, transgendered lesbian unemployed high school drop out confined to a wheel chair. What a Country....

[sarasota]

The capital of planet california is surely hollyweird.

[No Dems 2004]

I agree it's so ridiculous you shouldn't even have to talk about it. But, hey, it's California!! I think it has to do with trying to get more Hispanics to vote.

[SpookBrat]

marking

[DoctorMichael]

If we are going to change things, lets do it in a more rational manner. How about...................

.........Voters should be defined as:

Only those who either/or.............

(1) OWN PROPERTY,

(2) and/or, have SERVED in the US Military.

PERIOD.

[Reactionary]

Of course it's a way to cash in on ignorance. Democrats understand, of course, that the young are uninformed idiots, prone to vote for democrats.

[Mulder]

The collapse of the Republic continues.

Expect to see more of this 'third world' crap as the influx of immigrants from sub-cultures with no understanding of Western common law or individial Rights continues, aided by our "leaders" in Washington.

[Unicorn]

Boy they must be smoking some strong stuff out there.

[Fixit]

This guy should be the poster boy for making the legislature a part time affair.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Wants a Part-Time Legislature

I want to make the Legislature a part-time Legislature," the governor said. "Spending so much time in Sacramento, without anything to do, then out of that comes strange bills. I like them when they're scrambling and they really have to work hard. Give them a short period of time. Then good work gets done, rather than hanging. That's when they start getting creative with things.

[mtbopfuyn]

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

They don't have political opinions and do not deserve political representation. Their parents are responsible for them and make their decisions... or should but this is CA. Obviously if their voice is only worth 25%, then the lawmakers are admitting they aren't smart enough to make mature decisions and as such have a full vote. 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. However, when I asked them if they trusted their friends to make informed decisions that would affect their lives each and one immediately realized how bad this bill would be. I don't suppose the CA legislature bothered asking kids if they even wanted the right to vote.

[GiveEmDubya]

::Slaps forehead::

This has to be the dumbest thing California has ever done. And that's saying a lot.