Rockville could join Maryland cities allowing residents to vote at 16

ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — One Montgomery County town is pushing to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote.

The city council is holding a public hearing on the idea in Rockville.

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“They know their community; they know the issues that are in their local community,” said Donald Tobin, professor at the University of Maryland Law School. “The cons are whether or not they have the thoughtfulness, the life experience to vote; voting is an important right, civic responsibility, so are they at a level yet where they understand the issues?”

It’s already happening in towns like Takoma Park and College Park. But it’s important to point out that these places allow only kids to vote in local elections, like choosing the mayor, city council and school board members.

This doesn’t mean they can go vote for governor or in federal elections.

“If you’re allowed to drive on highways at 16 going 70 mph, you’re impacted by infrastructure, planning; you certainly are impacted by school board decisions, certainly they should have a vote,” said LaJuan Allen, executive director of Vote16USA, the group behind the push.

The ultimate goal is to open all elections, including statewide and federal, to 16- and 17-year-olds.

“It’s young people at forefront of these issues to get it right; they’re going to inherit this country and this world, and based on the conversations I’ve had with people in the Vote 16 ecosystem, they are not happy or pleased or happy with the decisions being made with their futures,” Allen said.

Professor Tobin agrees young people could be even more involved than older voters, especially at the local level.

SEE ALSO | Takoma Park teens cast their votes

“It’s also a good laboratory,” he said. “If we want people to be more civically engaged, one way is by giving them this right to vote, and I’d be very surprised if they are not more conscientious and do more research than most of us do.”

There’s another public hearing next week at city hall. The amendment then goes to city council later in November for a vote. If it passes, these teenagers could be voting in Rockville next year.