Measure VY, also called Vote 16, was an unsuccessful 2022 ballot initiative in Culver City, California, that sought to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections. The election was the latest in a string of local ballot measures, often supported by a movement called "Vote 16", although the lowered voting age remains rare in the United States. The measure's primary support came from youth activists attending Culver City High School, who contended that 16-year-olds have the mental capacity and vested interest necessary to vote, and that extending suffrage to them would foster participation in the democratic process. The opposition, led by former mayor Steve Gourley, argued that 16-year-olds do not have the maturity necessary to vote; Gourley also stated that the measure was an attempt to throw the city's politics towards the left. The measure failed by only 16 votes, out of over 16,000 cast.
Shall the measure amending the City of Culver City Charter to allow Culver City residents aged 16 and 17, who are otherwise eligible to vote under state and local law, to vote on City and School District candidates and ballot measures, provided that each legislative body has approved budgetary funds and determined logistical systems are in place, and that inclusion would not prevent consolidation of City or School District elections with county elections, be adopted?
Similar initiatives aimed at youth suffrage, often supported by a movement called "Vote 16",[a] have taken place in several other localities as well, with mixed results. Measures were narrowly defeated on the ballot in San Francisco in the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections, garnering 49.2% on the last try. Measures in Oakland and Berkeley succeeded in 2016 and 2020, respectively, both by over 67% – but Alameda County, which runs the elections for those cities, failed to implement the measure in time for the 2022 general election. The Maryland cities of Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Riverdale Park, and Takoma Park all have a voting age of 16.[2][3] These are the only places in the United States where ballot measures have extended suffrage to 16-year-olds, although U.S. Representative Grace Meng has repeatedly attempted to legislate the issue on a federal level; countries that allow 16-year-olds to vote include Argentina, Austria, and Malta.[4]
The measure was primarily campaigned for by Culver City High School activists, including 17-year-old senior Ada Meighan-Thiel. According to the Los Angeles Times, Meighan-Thiel contends that allowing young people to vote incentivizes them to participate in the system as adults.[4] Meighan-Thiel also argues that young people have a personal stake:
We're voting on climate legislation that's going to stick with us, because we're going to be inheriting this planet. We're voting on gun reform laws, as we're in classrooms every day. We're voting on housing because we'd like to be able to afford our homes in the future.
Other supporters for the measure say that if 16-year-olds can work and pay taxes, they have a vested interest in laws they cannot vote on.[5] On the issue of maturity, Meighan-Thiel cites a study from National Institutes of Health that differentiates between "cold" and "hot cognition", the difference between lengthy rational and heat-of-the-moment decision-making. According to the study, 16-year-olds are just as capable of the former, while the latter does not fully develop until later in life.[6][7]