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If You're Old Enough to Drive...

Posted By | February 13, 2008




From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Seventeen-year-olds can serve in the military, drive cars and hold down jobs. But until they turn 18, they cannot vote.

That could change in Illinois if state Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, has his way. Lang has proposed a state constitutional amendment to lower the voting age in Illinois to 17.

...

Lang's measure is just one of several across the country that would change the voting age, in some cases, to as low as 16, as the youth vote is getting serious attention in the presidential race.

Eleven states already permit 17-year-olds to vote in the primary if they are 18 by the general election. Iowa, Washington and now Illinois have pending proposals to take that a step further and lower the voting age eligibility for all elections.



 


Josh Goodman
Josh Goodman

Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..

E-mail: mailbox@governing.com
Twitter: @governing

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