It was a cold, dark, icy night when the city council met in Greenbelt on January 8. Although both audience and councilmembers were in somewhat short supply, members of the Youth Advisory Committee made yet another trek to yet another meeting to support their petition, initiated in July 2015, to lower the minimum voting age in city council elections to 16.
What may prove to be the penultimate hurdle was passed that night, as the councilmembers present voted unanimously to so amend the city charter. The motion was made with enthusiasm by Councilmember Leta Mach, who was the only councilmember present that night who had voted for the city council to make the decision last summer rather than waiting.
Assuming the successful passage of the last step, the effect of this change will be to lower the voting age only in Greenbelt’s municipal elections. Several city positions that have previously been tied to the minimum voting age will not have their minimum age requirement lowered. It will still be necessary to be at least 18 years old to run for city council or to be appointed as a member of the Employee Relations Board or the Board of Elections.
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