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Students and Fremont Youth Vote urge lowering school-board voting age to 16
Summary
Multiple student speakers and Fremont Youth Vote representatives asked the advisory committee to add a recommendation to the charter process to lower the voting age to 16 for school board elections, citing Bay Area precedents and civic-engagement benefits.
During public comment at the March 30 Charter Advisory Committee meeting, several youth speakers — many representing Fremont Youth Vote — urged the committee to recommend lowering the voting age to 16 for Fremont school board elections.
Speakers described reasons for the proposal: 16-year-olds are affected daily by school-board decisions, many hold leadership roles and responsibilities in school (one speaker said, "I'm managing more than $20,000 in funds"), and other Bay Area cities such as Berkeley, Oakland and Albany have adopted similar measures. Fremont Youth Vote representatives argued that early enfranchisement increases civic engagement and produces long-term benefits for voter participation.
One organizational leader said the committee has the "chance to grant us this right and make this recommendation," and several student speakers asked the committee to add the proposal to a future agenda. Staff did not commit to a specific timetable for considering the change, but acknowledged public comment and said topics raised could be placed on future agendas.
Why it matters: Lowering the voting age for school-board elections would change who can vote in those races and could affect school governance and policy decisions that directly impact students. The change would require charter language (or other legal steps) as appropriate to the city and school-district frameworks.
What was said (selected quotes): "The students of Fremont are ready," said Sean Chisti, principal and founder of Fremont Youth Vote. A 13-year-old speaker described running ASB and managing funds in school activities to argue that younger residents already shoulder responsibilities that justify a voice in school governance.
What’s next: Committee members acknowledged the request. Staff indicated the committee will continue to hear related topics at upcoming meetings and may place youth voting on a future agenda for further consideration.
