Teens' goal: vote at age 16

Teens' goal: vote at age 16
Generation Now's proposal is advancing in Legislature

Tucson, Arizona Monday, 29 January 2001http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/10129JUNIORVOTERS.html

Ben Kirkby / Staff
Joshua Lederman, left, Stephanie Green, center, and Sarah Meisel say youths should have a voice in state government.

By Colleen Sparks
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Three Tucson teen-agers and their supporters have an uphill battle ahead as they push a bill that would amend the Arizona Constitution, allowing state residents 16 and older to vote in state elections.

Generation Now, a Tucson-based organization started by University High School students in February 2000, has lobbied for public and legislative support of the bill over the past year. The bill went through its first reading in the Arizona House of Representatives on Jan. 18, and legislators will review it in the Counties and Municipalities Committee, but a hearing date has not been set.

The organization's leadership consists of Joshua Lederman, a 15-year-old University High sophomore, and two other University High students, Generation Now director Stephanie Green, an 18-year-old senior, and assistant director Sarah Meisel, a 17-year-old senior.

Generation Now also has about 25 student representatives and volunteers throughout Arizona and 25 representatives in 12 other states, including California, New Mexico and Washington. Students in the other areas provide support to the Tucson trio, and many are pitching similar initiatives in their states.

"We would like to give youth a voice so that legislators will cater to the needs of their voting constituency," said Lederman, who serves as the group's director of public relations.

Generation Now believes 16 is a good voting age because 16-year-olds are old enough to be considered for the death penalty in certain states, are allowed to drive, can hold a job, and are old enough to drop out of school, Lederman said. At the age of 17, residents can join the military with parental consent, he added.

The Tucson-based youth initiative has drawn support from several legislators, teachers and students, though many say it will be difficult for Generation Now to get the bill approved.

After being heard in the House Counties and Municipalities Committee, the bill still must go through several more committee hearings, Democratic and Republican caucus reviews, and then to the House for its third reading. If the House approves it, the bill would go to the Senate, and if it passes there, the voting public would decide whether to approve it.

Rep. Marion Pickens, D-Tucson, the bill's sponsor, said the students have made some good points for changing the voting age. Sen. Andy Nichols, D-Tucson, is the bill's other sponsor.

"I believe that students that feel so passionately about something have the right to be heard," Pickens said. "It's very unlikely that an idea that radical or different is going to be accepted the first time around."

The Tucson Education Association board of directors endorsed the bill at its meeting last Monday, although some of the board members did not support the endorsement.

"The right to vote would provide a constituency for children, not only for those registered to vote, but also for their younger brothers and sisters," said TEA President Michael Gordy, who voted to endorse the bill.

Gordy said some opponents of the bill argued that voter turnout is already low among voters ages 18 to 25, and some have questioned whether 16-year-olds are mature enough to vote.

TEA board member Andrea Haber said it was a difficult decision, but she voted against the bill endorsement.

"At 16, many students, many young people, are focused on a lot of other things other than what's going on in the political arena," Haber said. "I believe these students can have a voice without necessarily having a vote."

However, Meisel and other Generation Now members say the power of the vote is the strongest way to get legislators' attention. Meisel said educational standards for most Arizona schools are too low.

"I love my school, but my school's considered rare," she said, adding that people at other schools "are incapable of doing things they should be able to do." Failure to pass the statewide AIMS test is one example of that, Meisel said.

While waiting for the Counties and Municipalities Committee to review their bill, Generation Now members will continue to get out the message about their proposal, and they are optimistic they will be successful.

"We're launching a media campaign throughout Arizona," Lederman said. "We're going to continue our fight."