Teenage voting rights proposed
Ballot would count only 1/4 or 1/2 as much as an adult's
John M. Hubbell, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau
Thursday, May 6, 2004
©2004 San Francisco Chronicle
Sacramento -- Being 14, an awkward, largely uncelebrated time that can seem to last for an eternity rather than a year, took a small step toward relevance in the Capitol on Wednesday.
After earnest testimony by teenagers and their youthful supporters, the Senate Elections and Reapportionment Committee passed legislation that would lower the state's legal voting age to 14.
If the bills by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, become law, they would cause a historic shift in the state political system, dropping a rite of passage long tied to adulthood to an age far below what is typically required nationwide to get a driver's license, a pack of cigarettes or a marriage license.
However, ballots of 14- and 15-year-olds would be counted as one-quarter of an adult vote, while those of 16- and 17-year-olds would be worth one-half of an adult vote.