by Maria Wood
Thomas Jefferson once said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” For the most part, those who can participate in government by exercising their right to vote are citizens that are 18 years of age or older, as cited in the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Some cities across the country, however, are expanding the right to vote for those younger than 18 in certain elections. For example, in January 2024, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed the New Voter Empowerment Act into law. The law allows 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections as long as they will turn 18 years of age on or before the general election. The law takes effect on January 1, 2026. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 states and Washington, D.C. have similar laws.
Also in January 2024, the Newark City Council voted to lower the required voting age for school board elections to 16. The measure took effect in April 2025, making Newark the first city in New Jersey to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in any type of election.
The New Jersey State Constitution affirms the right of 18-year-olds to vote, but it does not specifically prohibit younger people from voting. Cities around the state are free to do what Newark did in opening the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds.
Boost April voter turnout
As the state’s largest city, Newark’s Board of Education oversees more than 40,000 students and an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion. After the Newark City Council’s decision was announced, schools and local organizations launched a campaign to encourage 16- and 17-year-olds to register by the March 25, 2025 deadline, which would allow them to vote in the school board election scheduled for April 15, 2025. To facilitate voting by this new group of voters, registration forms were available at high schools and registration drives were held during lunch hours.
The goal with the registration drives in Newark was not only to get younger people involved in the voting process, but to boost historically low voter turnout for the April school board election. While most districts in New Jersey have moved their school board elections to November to draw in more voters, Newark is one of the few that still hold theirs in April.
Yael Bromberg, a voting rights lawyer and former adjunct professor at Rutgers Law School in Newark, says getting younger teens engaged in voting steers them on the path to lifelong voting. Through outreach programs at schools and in the community, Newark’s teens were taught how to navigate the voting process beginning with registering, researching and choosing their preferred candidate, and ultimately casting their vote.
“It’s a unique opportunity to support future voters and a stronger democratic republic,” says Professor Bromberg, who is now an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law where she teaches election law.
Voting in school board elections is especially important for 16- and 17-year-olds because it gives them a voice in issues directly impacting them, she says.
“High school students are very interested in school safety, specifically gun control, and climate justice,” Professor Bromberg says. “We need to connect what voting means to their everyday lives and concerns.”
In October 2024, Vote16NJ, a statewide voting rights organization formed by students, sponsored a summit at the Rutgers University campus in Newark. At the summit, Matthew Bassily, then a senior at Monroe Township High School, said he was inspired to bring the fight to lower the voting age back to his town.
“It was just really shocking to see that everyone attending these meetings and using their voice doesn’t actually have a stake in the decisions of the board of education,” Bassily told Chalkbeat, a non-profit news organization that exclusively covers education. “We’re not asking for them to vote in the presidential election, especially in a time of polarization. We’re asking for a 16-year-old to be able to vote in school board elections that directly affect them. I should be the one that has a say that can actually impact what happens in my school.”
Disappointing turnout in Newark
When the ballots were counted after the April 15 election, actual voter turnout from 16- and 17-year-olds was low compared to the number that registered. Of the 7,000 eligible Newark voters in that age group, 1,851 registered to vote for the school board election. Of those, only 73 actually cast a ballot—a 3.47% participation rate. According to the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ), that number is in line with the typical voter turnout for an April election, which is between 3 and 4%.
Assatta Mann, senior community organizer for NJISJ, which actively supported lowering the voting age in Newark, told Chalkbeat that students faced challenges in actually casting a ballot, including a short timeframe to register and difficulties that the city of Newark had with implementation.
Professor Bromberg says implementation is key to boosting voter turnout among high school students. She suggests making voting more accessible to the youngest voters, such as having shuttles to polling places and sponsoring candidate forums in more accessible locations. It should be a collaborative effort between school administrators, faculty and student groups, the county clerk, and the secretary of state, she says.
Mann also noted that transportation was a problem, pointing out that students were not allowed to leave school to vote, and they could only vote in a school that hosted a polling place.
Professor Bromberg also advocates for a strong civics education program in high schools to boost youth voting.
“We should be supporting civics education just as we support youth sports,” Professor Bromberg says.
Despite the low turnout in Newark, a study published in the American Journal of Political Science claims that teens who begin voting at 16 or 17 could become lifelong voters by starting the voting habit early on. According to the study, “Voting in one election substantially increases the likelihood of voting in the future.”
What about the rest of New Jersey?
Two other large New Jersey cities have considered following Newark’s lead in giving permission to 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal and/or school board elections. In 2024, Jersey City proposed an ordinance to lower the voting age to 16 for municipal elections. Also in 2024, the Atlantic City Council considered an ordinance to permit 16-year-olds to vote in school board elections. At press time, Jersey City’s ordinance was still undergoing evaluation, and Atlantic City had postponed a public hearing to discuss lowering the voting age
Governor Murphy has expressed his support for lowering the voting age in school board elections statewide.
“I know, to some, this proposal may sound unconventional,” Governor Murphy said when speaking at Hoboken High School in October 2024. “But voting is a lifelong habit, and studies show that if a person votes in one election, they are more likely to turn out in the next election.”
Governor Murphy’s initial budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 included $1 million in new “Youth Vote Expansion Grants” that would have been made available to “local government leaders across New Jersey to create new opportunities for 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local school board elections.” The final approved budget, however, did not include this expenditure.
A survey conducted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement revealed that 26.8% of New Jersey voters support 16-year-olds voting in school board elections but not in local or federal elections. The survey stated that “many respondents described 16- and 17-year-olds as immature, uninformed and easily influenced.”
First in the nation
Takoma Park, Maryland is the first city in the nation to lower the voting age. In 2013, the Takoma Park Town Council voted 6-1 to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for mayor and city council.
Just as in Newark, the youth turnout was initially low in Takoma Park. During the first year, of the 370 teens eligible to register, only 134 did so, and 47 actually voted. According to Vote16USA, over time Takoma Park teens have shown up in higher rates than the general population.
In Maryland, the cities of Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Riverdale Park, Somerset Town, Chevy Chase, Cheverly, and Mount Rainier followed Takoma Park’s lead, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to cast ballots in local elections. Brattleboro, Vermont has a similar ordinance, according to the National Youth Voting Rights Organization. In Oakland and Berkeley, California, 16- and 17-year-olds can vote in school board elections only.
Professor Bromberg compares voting in school board elections at age 16 or 17 to getting a driver’s permit at age 16 to develop driving skills. “Just like a driver’s permit, this is an opportunity to teach young people how to become habitual practitioners of democracy.”
Discussion Questions
- Do you agree or disagree with the effort to lower the voting age for school board elections statewide? Explain your answer.
- What measures would you suggest to increase voter turnout for 16- and 17-year-olds? What issue would get you out to the polls?
- Once you are old enough to vote do you think you will become a lifelong voter (i.e., voting in all elections, not just the presidential years)? Why or why not?
- As a future voter, what would you look for in a candidate for public office? Explain your answer in detail.
Glossary Words
affirm—to uphold, approve or confirm.
ratify—to approve or endorse.
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2025 issue of The Legal Eagle
BONUS CONTENT: Lowering the Voting Age Around the World
According to the National Youth Voting Rights Organization, 28 countries across the globe have lowered the voting age to 16 or 17—some for all elections and some in just select contests. In 2007, Austria was the first European country to lower the voting age to 16 for all elections. A study conducted a year after the lower voting age was implemented found that turnout in that age group was higher than for 18- to 20-year-olds and not significantly lower than the average turnout rate.
Researchers concluded that lowering the voting age can encourage higher voter participation, which makes for a stronger democracy.
Could the U.S. be next?
Could the U.S. be the next country to expand voting rights to younger ages nationwide? In 2023, Representative Grace Meng of New York introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would lower the federal voting age to 16. The proposal would replace the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.”
Representative Meng’s bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee. So far, there has been no movement on the bill. Even if approved, which would take two-thirds of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the measure would have an uphill climb. It takes approval of three-fourths of state legislatures to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Also in 2023, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts re-introduced the Youth Voting Rights Act. Among other things, the act would mandate that states establish a preregistration process for 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote for federal elections that will take place when they turn 18. Yael Bromberg, an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law where she teaches election law, worked on drafting Senator Warren’s bill and says the senator plans to introduce it again in 2025.—Maria Wood