Bridgeton, New Jersey, Mayor Al Kelly backs lowering the voting age to 16.
In The South Jersey Times, Kelly writes, “In many states, 16 and 17-year-olds begin to drive and many hold their first jobs at that age, and should they have a job, they pay taxes. They also become bona fide shoppers and consumers. … It’s also at about this time that many, assuming they go to college, are getting ready to take on decades of student loan debt that will impact their ability to buy homes, cars, or even live somewhere other than a parent’s basement upon graduation.”
He continues, “They can do all of this, but what they absolutely cannot do is vote — even in municipal elections. That should change. It’s more than a point in some academic discussion. These young people will have to live with the decisions we make long after we’ve left center stage.”
