Berkeley Teens May Finally Get The Right to Vote This Fall

Berkeley Teens May Finally Get The Right to Vote This Fall

By Milo Santamaria / July 2024

In 2016, Berkeley voters passed Measure Y1 allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections. However, it took almost eight years to finally implement the measure.

The Berkeley city council reports that teens may be able to vote for school board members as early as this fall, if the electronic voting systems can be updated in time for the November election. The city council resolution also called for a voting center to be established at the local high school to make it easier for teens to cast their votes.

According to local news source Berkeleyside, the city council resolution that was recently passed must also be revisited and approved before each election year. The resolution says that “the school district ordinance can disallow youth voting in a given election year ‘for any reason,’ including “administrative, technical, or financial infeasibility.”

Though it seems strange to give teens voting rights that can be easily stripped away, the city council members, and local residents seem optimistic about the measure.

Current city council member (and mayoral candidate) Sophie Hahn argues that allowing teens to vote will help motivate them to continue voting in future elections. The city council representatives also mentioned the possibility of allowing teens to run for school board, and other elected offices in future years.

Oakland passed a similar youth vote measure in 2020, and Oakland residents are also working to ensure that teens will be able to cast their votes in upcoming elections. Many of the teens who worked to make these measures happen have graduated and moved on with their lives; however, their efforts are ensuring that future generations will have their voices heard in future elections.

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