(Headline USA) House Democrats proposed an amendment to the Constitution this week that would allow 16-year-olds to vote.
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., would repeal the 26th Amendment, which guarantees the right to vote for all U.S. citizens of at least 18 years of age.
A new amendment would be added in its place, which states, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are sixteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.”
This is not the first time Democrats have tried to pass such a proposal. In fact, Meng introduced this resolution in the last Congress, admitting that the reason she wants 16-year-olds to have the right to vote is because they are more likely to support Democrats’ leftist causes.
“Our young people, including 16- and 17-year-olds, continue to fight and advocate for so many issues that they are passionate about from gun safety to the climate crisis,” she said at the time. “They have been tremendously engaged on policies affecting their lives and their futures.”
But even though Democrats had control of both the House and Senate last year, they did not advance Meng’s proposal. Only 125 Democrats voted in favor of the amendment in March 2022, while every Republican but one voted against it.
This year, Meng’s proposal has the backing of only about 12 Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and the other “Squad” members, such as Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced a similar measure in the Senate last year, called the Youth Voting Rights Act, which wouldn’t change the legal voting age but would automatically register 16- and 17-year-olds to vote so they can vote as soon as they are 18-years-old.
