Amend. 76 will take the vote from 17- year- olds
Ivoted for the first time on March 2, 2020. I was 17 at the time and so excited to vote that I encouraged our family members to turn in their ballots with us.
I had been very involved in the Bernie Sanders campaign during the presidential primary; I spent hours making calls for him and joined his rally at the Colorado Convention Center. Being involved in politics and voting for the first time at the age of 17 was an honor, especially as someone who comes from a family of people who, as naturalized citizens, are not used to voting or do not have the resources to inform themselves.
I was part of the first generation of Coloradans who had the opportunity to participate in the state primaries at 17. I felt like a member of society when I had the privilege to vote and use my voice. It also inspired my parents, who have not been as active in the elections, to inform themselves and execute their power in the primaries.
But me, my family, over 10,500 other young people in Colorado this year would never have had this experience if the people behind Amendment 76 had their way. Amendment 76 will deny other 17- year- olds who are in the same position as me the right to participate in future elections. It is a form of youth voter suppression. A Florida based PAC that does not share Colorado’s values is threatening democracy in our state by playing on a false narrative that non- citizens are voting in elections, even though that’s already prohibited by law. This xenophobic amendment would cause confusion and fear about voting for naturalized immigrant citizens like my parents, which is another form of voter suppression.
There’s also another way that Amendment 76’ s negative consequences are personal for me. For the past two years, I have been part of a student- led movement called Student Voice, Student Vote ( SV2), which has been working to pass legislation that would allow 16 and 17 year- old students to vote in school board elections. I have served as a co- chair for the SV2 coalition with other students to pass our bill so that young people’s voices can gain the recognition and support they deserve in our democracy. All of our efforts have shown results and built a strong movement, and we’ve continued to build momentum even through the abrupt changes of the pandemic.
We have been working on this initiative to spread democracy amongst 16 and 17- yearolds to make sure those most directly impacted by the school board members’ decisions have their voices heard, too, and to help ensure that younger generations build the habits of engaging in our democracy as early as possible. But if Amendment 76 passes, none of that will be possible.
When I was in high school, I wished that I would’ve had the opportunity to decide who my elected officials for the Denver Public Schools Board were, just like I did in the primaries. When the most recent school board’s election season came along, I felt betrayed and excluded because I could not participate and have a say actively. I have been working on SV2’ s legislation for an extended period and have dedicated much work to it, along with other students my age. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to vote during the primaries at the age of 17, I’d love for people my age to be able to do the same because there are many of us in the state of Colorado whose voices are silenced. Voter participation is proven to become a consistent, lifelong habit if a person starts young, increasing the voter turnout and strengthening democracy.
Today, I am 18, and I am looking forward to participating in the November elections and using my voice for those who don’t have the privilege. But looking back, I wouldn’t be as eager to vote as I am now if I was deprived of that right when I was 17. If you support democracy and young people participating in our elections, vote “No” on Amendment 76.