A photo of Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing up to Donald Trump in 2019. We need more Nancy Pelosi to do this. Not just lowering the voting age to 16, but other things too. (Photo courtesy of the Guardian)
The decision comes after nearly 40 years of public service, which saw her rise to the Speakership twice during her service in office in the early 2000s & more recently in 2019. This marks the end of a historic era by the former & first & only female Speaker of the House.
However, Pelosi’s legacy doesn’t have to end there. We of the national Vote16 movement, as well as the state & regional efforts like Vote16CA have the obligation to continue one of her strongest endorsements while in office- that of lowering the voting age to 16.
Although Pelosi may no longer be in office after the end of her term in January 2027, it is up to us to continue that endorsement of lowering the voting age to 16, which has slowly gained traction since her first endorsement of the concept in 2015.
When I set out do my nationwide walk in 2015, I wasn’t counting on getting an endorsement from Nancy Pelosi. I didn’t even know about the endorsement to lower the voting age to 16 until months after I had reached California, when I was
The photo above is from a news station interview I did in August, 2015 in Grand Junction, in western Colorado, where I was a little more than two-thirds of the way back home after starting my walk 2 1/2 months before that on a warm day in May in the heart of New York City. I was holding up a sign that I carried on my back(held with lightweight pvc piping on my backpack), but had rolled up due to rain for a few days.
It would not be until a little more than a month after before I reached my goal of San Francisco on September 5th, 2015. (Photo courtesy of KKCO NBC 11 News)
If someone told me shortly after completing my nationwide walk from New York City to San Francisco near noon of September 5th in 2015 that we would have a Vote16California(or henceforth Vote16CA) on the 10th anniversary of my completed walk, I would think they were the crazy one. If I did so, I would realize that this month, they wouldn’t be so crazy after all because after last month’s Vote16 Convening in L.A., and a meeting of a contingent of interested parties since then, they would be right. As of September 16th, 2025, we now have a coalition of advocates across the state in support of lowering the voting age to 16 working towards the formation of a Vote16CA.
Obviously, because of the novelty of our collaborative effort, I cannot say much yet, other than that we’re on the way to empowering more young people, continuing the vision around the L.A. Convening’s dialogue, and possibly, another Convening later this year.
What I can share as we continue to refine our group is that, unlike previous efforts, we are planning more, researching more & coordinating more, more so than previous efforts. Also, unlike previous, localized efforts, we’re more connected. Don’t get the wording wrong- we’re still working to lower the voting age to 16 in individual cities, but at the same time, there’s a larger consciousness of collaborative will, knowing that each separate city is connecting with a large framework of the movement, by state & nationallly, but also, in some cases, regionally. I am excited to be a part of this growing effort.
Ten years ago(or rather, more than that since I started my walk in May of 2015, 10 years& four months), I set out with several goals in mind, some of which I’ll list here. One of the main ones for lowering the voting age specifically was to bring attention to lowering the voting age to 16, after the success of Takoma Park & Hyattsville, Maryland, then overseas in Scotland, one year prior, in 2014, to a more national level. The second one was to make it back so that I could continue that work after my walk to promote the idea. That was difficult to do because while there were occasionally individuals who supported the idea, they were often few & far between. A Vote16CA helps fulfill that role now because I’m not the only one saying it- there’s half a dozen efforts within the Golden State collaborating together.
For years, I have tried to get national groups to concentrate on working in California, while also supporting efforts outside the state. Organizations have changed leaders. People have lost interest or given up. The political environment changes. Not me. Not after walking from the east coast to the west coast after braving almost every imaginable unfavorable inclement of weather. Also not after getting recognized by politicians for my work, both back then & even within the last year. Now, we have a state effort after three other states before it have succeeded in getting a form of a lowered voting age, either for school board elections or general elections.
Perhaps ten years is a long time to see such change, given that other countries around the world already had this for years before we even had it with Takoma Park. Then again, not too long after that, Berkeley gained the right for school board elections, only to wait nearly a decade to actually put it into practice. Oakland had a far long less wait than Berkeley. Hopefully this time around, now that we’re slowly overcoming obstacles that had mired collaboration around youth enfranchisement, we can make serious headway around lowering the voting age to 16. Obstacles in the way to actually implementing these are being addressed, with most either close to resolution or resolved already.
On a more national front, after Albany becoming the 13th city to lower the voting age in 2024, we’ve already had two other American cities that have done the same thing this year- College Park & Berwyn Heights, both in Maryland. This means we have momentum going for us as cities continue to get added. With more cities declaring success in this endeavor, this will make it harder for cities without “vote 16” policies to remain so. Sooner or later, movements within those cities will spring up as well, much like the cities that have already succeeded at lowering the voting age being influenced by other efforts before them.
Adding new cities is great, but surely other cities outside of Maryland would be great too. I don’t say this as a negative, but rather a way to move towards the next goal post, much like I did trying to get from one city to the next when I walked from coast to coast. The goal to enfranchise shouldn’t stop when one has achieved success in their locality- it should continue when those who’ve succeeded continue the work by helping those who have yet to succeed, much like in the last decade since my walk, I’ve emailed as many supporters of the efforts, connected with several organizations, gone to as many meetings on Zoom, spoken at several conferences & continue the work long after the last mile of my cross-country trek.
Vote16CA is like this- connecting the efforts that have succeeded, to those that have yet to succeed, to also those who have yet to start. It’s not just a sprint- it’s not just a marathon as some have told me- it’s not even just a relay where we pass the baton amongst the team- it’s a combination of all of the above. We really have momentum for us going at this time. We need to take advantage of it.
Here’s to hoping that we don’t have to wait another 10 years to enfranchise the next city- the 16th city to lower the voting age to 16, or the next 14 cities after that, to reach the same level we’re at today.
This is a view of the Morrison Room at the University of California Los Angeles, located at the Faculty Club on campus. This room saw the rebirth of the national, and possible a few state coalitions, movement to lower the voting age to 16.
Earlier this month, I had the honor to attend a two-day conference that signaled what would likely be the birth of the national movement to lower the voting age to 16 within the United States. At this time, I would like to introduce a short, latin phrase many will be familiar with- it’s “Vedi, veni, vici” translated to “I came, I saw, I conquered”. Once you finish reading my post, you can see why I & many others felt the same way.
Over the course of two days, I met with dozens of members from their respective efforts across the country to lower the voting age to 16. We had quite the representation across the United States, of course. But representatives weren’t just from nearby areas like California, but we had representatives from the east coast, including New York, New Jersey, Maine & Maryland. The Midwest/Great plains region also had ample representation, as people also came from Minneapolis Minnesota & Houston, Texas to represent their interests in seeing movements from out there too.
Day 1
On the first day, we got to hear from panelists from specific areas that have active movements, as well as from places that have already lowered the voting age to 16 for general elections, such as Albany, CA. We also saw speakers from cities that have lowered the voting age for school board elections, such as Oakland, California & Newark, New Jersey(the latter of which bears part of my last name!). Below are the contents of the first day of convening.
The first day was quite a doozy, so after all the activities & a tour of the UCLA campus, we retreated to our respective housing locations before gearing up an action-packed second day.
Day 2
The second day was not only a day for following up on connections made the previous day, but also to make lasting mementos & conversations. For the former, we took photos of each other among the various groups that connected while also doing some activities with each other to do an overall group introduction, so we not only knew who was represented, but what each person was about, what they hoped to do with their respective movements & what piece of advice they could give to everyone else in the room.
Overall, both days were really refreshing because the movement was now alive again nationally, so we knew that we weren’t only individuals or small groups working in obscurity & in solitude. We felt seen. We felt heard. Finally, the work I have been doing in the last decade has been acknowledged!
More importantly, it wasn’t just me now who wanted to lower the voting age to 16- it was our connected group as a whole: my fellow brothers & sisters. I was not longer alone!
In this manner, it now became “Veni, vidi, vici, coniuncti sumus”, or translated roughly as “I came (alone), I saw (us convening together), I conquered (shared my story) & we connected (amongst ourselves)”. We came separate, from our respective corners of the country, with some traveling farther than others, but we left together with a greater sense of appreciation of the work we are each doing.
We saw each other as equals, regardless of how big our group was, but now we must work together to give equity to others where we call home. For that, we will continue to push the Vote at 16 agenda nationwide through all of the contacts we have made during the convening, to build coalitions across the country & locally, to empower young voices.
I cannot wait to see what the future collaborative efforts will look like!
This was a group photo of all the attendees in the room at the opening of the blog!(I’m somewhere in the middle, [second to the back with hat!])
I look forward to seeing what’s next for the voting at 16 movement!
UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs will be hosting the first ever national convening of supporters who have been working to lower the voting age locally & nationally next month.
For the first time ever, a national meet up of supporters who have been working to lower the national voting age to 16 will be meeting on a national level at the University of Los Angeles California for a two-day convening of some of the biggest names in the country.
Individuals, organizations, supporters, intellectuals, researchers & many others who have interest in the voting age efforts will be able to meet, connect & strategize on ways to empower the next generation of supporters.
Supporters are looking forward to this first national convening. We look forward to welcoming all those in the Vote16 efforts no matter where in the country you’re located!
I am currently traveling to the Frontiers of Democracy Conference, where I’ll be presenting later this week. Actually twice on both days of the conference, but the first day is the most relevant to this blog.
Today is Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day. Our elected officials don’t always get the recognition, so we at the House Joint Resolution Coalition want to say “Thank You” to all our elected officials!
Last year, I along with a team of fellow youth rights advocates from various organizations convened a panel for the second year in a row at the prestigious Frontiers of Democracy Conference held at Tuft’s University each year.
The conference theme was combatting violence in our modern era. Our panel talked about the need for younger people to have an outlet to voice their opinions, but also went one step further to state that people who don’t already have a vote should not just have a vote only, but also play a role in changing their immediate environment.
The conference panel was so popular that even Rep. Grace Meng herself, the member of the House of Representatives and current author of a national bill to lower the federal voting age, personally liked our team’s announcement of our panel.
This year, we’re working with even more youth advocates from organizations we haven’t worked with before. Shortly after our panel last summer, the city of Albany in California became the thirteenth city in the U.S. with a form of voting at 16. With the addition of Albany, there are now three states with Earlier this year, College Park in Maryland became the fourteenth city to do so. More efforts are continually arising. Efforts like our recent conference panels are raising awareness among people as well as inspiring fellow advocates in the work they’re doing. That is why we continue to do what we’re doing- to raise more awareness & to empower a new generation of leaders.
At this year’s conference, the third that’s been convened discussing the topic of lowering the voting age, we want to continue pushing for youth enfranchisement. With Albany now adding another city name to the list, it will only be a matter of time until more cities, along with states possibly, to be added to that list.
Paul Revere during his midnight ride, as depicted in many history books across the country. What most don’t often also acknowledge are his two helpers, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, who also alerted fellow colonists as well.
Two hundred fifty years ago today, Paul Revere, along with William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, traveled across the colonies shortly after midnight on April 18th, 1775 to warn colonists of the impending arrival of the British Imperial navy who had imposed tea taxes on goods and were now threatening to enforce those “tariffs” on the colonists. However, many had feared that it wouldn’t just be enforcement, but also reabsorption to the British Empire rather than a separate entity, the fledgling country we now know as the United States of America. It would not be until more than year later that the fledgling nation we call home today would draft the Declaration of Independence, creating a country by the people and for the people, and needing to engage in one of the most brutal conflicts known to history.
Today, in 2025, one could see the similar parallels with our country today- youths, despite more than a dozen cities having lowered the voting age to 16(municipal elections, more cities with school board elections) and youth still paying taxes on income from employment(see my Tax Day blog entry), not all 16 year-olds can vote.
For the last few years, I’ve been working to help change that through the Frontiers of the Democracy conference, where I and several organizations have been bringing the issue to the forefront of discussion so that more groups can open discussion around the concept, and like Albany and College Park, actually enfranchise young people.
This year, our team wants to add more voices, from diverse groups across the country, across the age spectrum- organization leaders, mentors, supporters, but most importantly, the young voters themselves. But we need your help- to consider joining our youth voting panel.
It may be 2025, but we still need Paul Reveres, and Paula Reveres too. While we may be still be living in the greatest democracy in the world, the last few months and the current political climate don’t seem to make it seem like it. On top of that, we young people still continue to be alienated from the ballot box in most places across the country. If you’re reading, you can not only make the country better and fill a larger-than-life role, but also do it on the 250th anniversary year at one of the places Paul Revere is most known for and the place where the Boston Tea Party took place- Boston itself.
Most who receive this will have my email and my Twitter account is below, with a post liked by Grace Meng herself- the actual author of House Joint Resolution 16 to empower young people across the country, found here, so I am not that hard to reach. If you want to help or even just know someone who want to help, please pass on this information to them.
A graphic of The British Tax Tea that appeared on the Revolutionary War Magazine during the Revolutionary War Period. These events are what sparked the eventual conflict known as the American Revolution.
Yesterday, we marked the end of another tax season, where the employed once again pay their fair share of taxes. That includes 16 year-olds, many of whom are working their first job(sometimes a second one too), saving up to attend college, or helping their parents weather the current economic climate. Yet they still don’t have a vote, which is sadly disappointing.
Yesterday, we marked the end of another tax season, where the employed once again pay their fair share of taxes. That includes 16 year-olds, many of whom are working their first job(sometimes a second one too), saving up to attend college, or helping their parents weather the current economic climate. Yet they still don’t have a vote, which is sadly disappointing.
After College Park’s recent achievement to lower the voting age to 16, making it the fourteenth in the country to do so, we should have way more cities. Unfortunately, we do not. It has been more than a decade since the first city in the country, Takoma Park, did so, yet, in addition to Albany in California last November, the thirteenth city to lower its municipal voting age to 16, we’ve hardly scratched the surface despite numerous national organizations, support from a former Speaker of the House and continued efforts across various regions in the U.S. More needs to be done to empower young people.
#16ToVoteAdvocacyProject 