Lower the voting age for local elections

Our names are Brianna Lujan and Artemisio Romero y Carver. We are young people from Northern New Mexico.

We imagine many readers have never thought of this idea, but our democracy is suffering from its own history. At our nation’s start, only a select few could cast a ballot. It wasn’t until the 1860 that all states allowed white men to vote without conditions of property or religion. African Americans gained the right to vote through the 15th Amendment, a freedom still limited by voter suppression. The last group of citizens who gained voting rights in New Mexico were our Native American relatives in 1948.

Our democracy needs to be more inclusive. Senate Bill 412, 16- and 17-YearOlds as Qualified Electors, was recently amended to strike 16-year-olds from the bill. However, we feel this was a change based on arbitrary assumptions of our maturity. We have a stake and we want a say in what our local governments do.

So what we’re asking of you is to be a part of this positive change. Say yes to us being able to have a bright future. Stand with us and support the bill with age 16 as when people could vote in some elections. In New Mexico, we have a historic opportunity to be leaders in this movement to fix our democracy.

With this legislation, the voting age for state and local elections would be lowered to 16 — this includes city/county and school board elections.

When we look at who is voting in our elections, we are forced to look at the continuation of this incomplete history. Year after year, older white voters outperform any other category of voter and continue to be the primary deciders of our collective futures. At the same time, all young people are underrepresented in our elections by a hefty margin, and many young people are unable to vote at all.

Decisions are being made that will primarily impact us, without our input. Do older voters really know what is best for us and our generation when they don’t even ask us? But we know our interests, and even more than that we know, far too well, the danger we are in.

Our schools have become sites of mass slaughter. Our future in higher education is weighed down by a constantly growing debt trap. Our lifespans are shortened daily by the rising tide of climate change and inadequate action to fix it. We are mature and intelligent enough to comprehend the existential and actual threats our generation faces. But we are not considered capable or mature enough to vote, the most basic action necessary to avert these threats and have a say in the policies that affect our lives.

If this is the first time you’ve ever thought about this idea, you may be wondering, “Why does 18 as the voting age work?” In 1970, the Voting Rights Act was amended to lower the national voting age from 21 to 18. This was in recognition of the fact that young men were eligible to be drafted into the military before they could vote.

We are at a similar moment now. We’re feeling the impact of policies that we cannot impact. Many of us are working, have a lot of family responsibilities and are planning our futures. It makes sense to make this positive change. We can make amazing things happen if you give us the opportunity to be a part of it.

Brianna Lujan and Artemisio Romero y Carver, young people from Northern New Mexico, are active in the group, Youth United for Climate Crisis Action (Yucca).