Lawmaker wants to lower age requirement for school boards

A Colorado lawmaker wants to give students as young as 16 a crack at serving on local school boards.

State Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Longmont Democrat, said he will introduce legislation in 2018 that would allow either local voters or a school board to lower the minimum age to run for a board seat to 16.

Voters must be 18 to cast a ballot in federal, state and local elections in Colorado.

Singer said he’s working with several youth groups, including Project VOYCE, which develops future leaders in underserved communities, to hammer out the details of his proposal. He said the object is to get teens involved in the political process and to give a voice to those who are most impacted by a school board’s decision.

“Once you sit down with a 16- or 17-year-old, you quickly understand they know more about what’s going on in their school district than most adults,” Singer said.

“Everyone says bad habits start in your teens,” Singer said. “But it’s also when good habits start, like eating a good diet, exercising and voting.”

At least two U.S. cities have lowered the minimum age to vote in municipal elections in the past four years — Takoma Park and Hyattsville, Md. Sixteenand 17-year-olds can vote in school board elections in Berkeley, Calif.

The Youth Opportunities Advisory Board is trying to lower the voting age for municipal elections in Boulder.

Matt Cook, director of public policy and advocacy for the Colorado Association of School Boards, said he doesn’t know enough about Singer’s proposal to comment on it.

“It’s hard for me to say right now, if this is a good idea or bad idea,” Cook said.

But, he said, many school boards include non-voting student representatives to advise on issues impacting students.