Are 16-year Olds Mature Enought to VoteTop of Mind with Julie Rose • Season 1, Episode 876, Segment 2
Aug 13, 2018 • 20m
Guests: Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart & Takoma Park Youth Council Chairman Kiran Kochar McCabe
A handful of cities around the country let 16 and 17 year olds vote in local elections and there’s a push to get more on board. Takoma Park, Maryland, which is a suburb of Washington, DC, was the first to do it five years ago. But are 16-year-olds really mature enough to cast an informed vote? On the other hand, if we trust them to drive a car and pay taxes on their after-school earnings, don’t they deserve a say in local issues that affect them, like education?