NYRA Berkeley Voting Age Progress

It was not long ago that California State Senator John Vasconcellos sponsored a bill to lower the voting age. While that bill was eventually defeated, it brought the voting age to the attention of millions of Americans, due in no small part to the hard work of NYRA-Berkeley. The chapter continues to strive for a lower voting age, and has brought the issue to the Berkeley City Council. NYRA-Berkeley drafted a proposal to lower the city’s voting age to sixteen. The proposal received the necessary support of Berkeley’s Youth Commission, but due to a technicality, a re-vote is required on Monday. Once approved by the Youth Commission, the proposal will have the support of City Council Members Kriss Worthington, Max Anderson, and Darryl Moore. The chapter also hopes to gain the support of Mayor Tom Bates. Berkeley is a very progressive city, and this proposal certainly has a shot. If it goes through, Berkeley will be the first town in America to have a voting age lower than eighteen. This seems very fitting, as Berkeley has become a Mecca of youth rights activism over the past year. The chapter continues its efforts to lower the voting age on the state level. Over eight hundred and fifty letters were sent to Senator Perata, and the chapter plans to send a comparable number of letters to Representative Loni Hancock. If you can help NYRA-Berkeley lower the voting age, please email Robert Reynolds.