Massachusetts Lawmakers Consider Bills to Lower Voting Age to 16 for Local Elections

Massachusetts is considering several bills to lower the voting age to 16 for local elections, with proposals like H.831 and H.813 aimed at authorizing those ages 16 or 17 to vote in town or city elections.

In Swampscott, local efforts began with a proposal from Select Board member Peter Spellios to change the election dates and allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in town elections and on ballot initiatives. The move signals that youth participation is a priority to turn around declining voter turnout and engagement. 

According to a Patch of Swampscott report, Swampscott has struggled with low local election turnout, such as 13.8% in 2023, highlighting concerns about engagement compared with higher turnout in state and federal elections. Public input, including resident surveys on voting habits, has been part of the evaluation of potential changes to Swampscott's local election process.

Swampscott has since formed a Town Election Review Committee to assess potential changes, with recommendations expected for the Select Board, while similar ideas gain statewide momentum in Beacon Hill bills.

According to Vote16USA, a group that calls for lowering the voting age to 16, 15 municipalities across the country, including ones in Maryland, California, Vermont, and New Jersey, have extended voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in local elections.

Sen. Patrick M. O'Connor, D-Weymouth, told the Telegram & Gazette that his bill to allow 17-year-olds to vote in preliminary elections if they will be 18 by the general election could be a suitable compromise for encouraging young voters. He said it would give teenagers a voice by allowing them to vote for their preferred candidate in a primary, rather than just voting for the one nominee in the general election.

“We have continuously heard, you know, all across the country, including here in Massachusetts, the low level of youth participation in our elections,” O'Connor said to the Telegram & Gazette. “I think that this is something that would spark a lot of interest to 17-year-olds that are going to be 18 by the time the general election rolls around.”

O'Connor confirmed that 21 states currently allow voting by people younger than 18, including neighboring Rhode Island, which passed its youth voting measure in 2023.