Measures on voting: Yes on 17; No on 18

Voters will decide two ballot measures on the Nov. 3 ballot dealing with, appropriately, voting.

Proposition 17, if approved, will allow parolees to vote and run for public office, with some limitations on the latter

roposition 18 would allow 17 year olds to vote in primary and special elections if they will be 18 and eligible by the next general election.

Prop. 17 is overdue and we urge voters to approve it.

The trend in our state, and some other parts of the country, are to emphasize rehabilitation with the goal of reducing recidivism. That would mean fewer people in overcrowded prisons who, even when released after successfully fulfilling the terms of their incarceration, are still treated as outcasts.

Allowing people on parole that most fundamental of all democratic rights, voting, can foster a sense of belonging and of engagement in the world outside prison walls.

In the U. S., the rules for when felons get their voting rights back varies by state — varying from automatic restoration of voting rights upon release to requiring a governor’s pardon to vote again. Sixteen other states and the District of Columbia allow people to vote once they’ve finished their prison sentences while Vermont and Maine let people vote who are still in prison.

California falls in between. People who land in county jails don’t lose their right to vote. But people in state prison can only vote again after they complete parole.

Prop. 17 would allow state prison inmates to register and vote after they are released from prison but before their parole is completed.

The measure also would allow parolees to run for office if they’re registered to vote and haven’t been convicted of perjury or bribery.

People who have been convicted of crimes and have paid their debt to society can and will be people who hold jobs, pay taxes, and, under Prop. 17, run for office. Those are all good things. Vote yes on Prop. 17.

Prop. 18, however, is another matter.

Supporters say allowing teens who would be first time voters in an election cycle to participate from the beginning could increase interest and voter participation among young people, many of whom already work and pay taxes. They’re also allowed to join the military. So, the reasoning goes, they should also be allowed to vote before the age of 18. This measure is part of a movement in some states to lower the voting age all the way to 16.

If approved, Prop. 18 would, for California, be a successor to the 26th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1971 and lowered the age of voting from 21 to 18.

That change was the right thing to do, especially because the military draft was still in force.

But lowering the voting age further seems more than a stretch. While 18 is an age when most young people are done with high school and are out at least partially on their own — to college, jobs or the military —most 17 year olds are still living at home and are not supporting themselves. They don’t file their own tax returns in most cases and haven’t yet had to learn the difficulties of paying bills and balancing budgets. They often have little or no experience that will allow them to make informed decisions on these matters or about the qualifications of the public officials who will be responsible for tax and budget policies. Sure, some young people are mature at

17, but 18 years old is a common- sense age to mark the beginning of adult life — and even that age has limitations that recognize youthful decision making can be lacking in maturity. When it comes to purchasing alcohol in California, the legal age remains 21. Moreover,, state lawmakers in 2016 raised the age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21. In 2019, the federal government did the same for the nation.

Vote no on Prop. 18.