Teens voting? They can in Oakland and Berkeley
Oakland & Berkeley teens, as young as 16, will be able to vote in November for a school board election.
A historic change is coming to Oakland. A nonprofit has launched a campaign in this city to register youth voters as young as 16 to vote in the school board election in November. Voters in Oakland and Berkeley have passed measures to lower the voting age in school board elections only. Its a first in California. Oakland is the largest city in the U.S. so far that has implemented a measure lowering the voting age.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A historic change is taking place in Oakland and Berkeley that empowers younger people to vote.
Teenagers as young as 16 years old will now be able to vote in the district's school board election this November.
This came after Oakland voters passed a measure four years ago that lowered the voter age for school board elections.
Berkeley passed a similar measure in 2016. Teens there will also be able to vote in school board elections.
On Thursday, Families in Action, a nonprofit, launched a campaign in Oakland to register youth voters and held a candidates' forum to prepare the teens.
Students were excited and nervous about this historic change and their new responsibility.
"That empowerment gives me the chance to represent what I want, said 17-year-old Jonathan Munoz who registered to vote at the event.
The campaign to engage teens and their parents featured a forum where they had a chance to meet school board candidates who would be on the November ballot.
In 2020, Oakland voters passed Measure QQ, which lowers the voting age to 16 in school board elections.
But it took four years of clearing hurdles, including technical implementation, for this change to take place.
"Why aren't we the ones to decide how our district is run?" Ben Salop, co-sponsor of the measure, asked.
Salop said when he served as student body president at Oakland Technical High, the school board largely ignored his concerns.
"I had no say whatsoever in the affairs of the district, and it was heartbreaking," said Salop.
"We know from national data that if you start voting by the time you're 20, 80% of those young people will vote their entire lives. We think we have an opportunity in Oakland to build life-long engaged voters," said Kimi Kean, co-founder of Families in Action.
Students said the time to have their voices heard is long overdue.
"Our parents don't see what happens in our schools. We're the ones who are there. We're the ones who receive the education, so that's why I think it's really important that we're the ones with the voice to uplift our education," said 17-year-old Tatiana Novoa, a newly registered youth voter.
"My vote is not only for me, but for the future of students as well. I want to provide them with the best possible education they can receive," said youth leader Emanuel Muratalla.
Organizers planned to register 1,000 youth voters in time for the November election.
They are working with 10 high schools to meet that goal.
Supporters said enabling teens to vote in school board races is gaining momentum across the country.
Maryland has five municipalities that enable youth voting.
One town in Vermont and Newark, New Jersey also have measures that do the same.
Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU, Instagram @AmberKTVU or Twitter @AmberKTVU