Board, Youth Commission Hear Dozens in Push to Let 16- and 17-Year-Olds Vote in City Races

Supervisor John Avalos introduced a charter amendment on May 3 to let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in San Francisco municipal elections, and the Board of Supervisors held a joint public hearing with the San Francisco Youth Commission that featured dozens of young people and elected officials urging passage.

“We have before us a charter amendment to extend the right to vote to young people ages 16 and 17,” Supervisor John Avalos told the board as he opened the special joint session. The measure would ask voters in November to change the city charter so local elections — but not state or federal contests — would be open to 16- and 17-year-olds.

The Youth Commission and students from public and private high schools made the principal case: voting behavior is habitual, and registering young people while they are still in school would produce higher turnout and a more representative electorate over time. “Voting is habitual and once someone casts their first vote, they will most likely continue voting,” said Jillian Wu, vice chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission. The commission…