When the Cambridge City Council failed to pass an initiative last June that would have lowered the voting age to 16 in municipal elections (see " Uncertain Gains, " News and Features, December 8, 2000), teens throughout the city vowed to return during the fall campaign season. On October 11, they did just that. Under the banner of the Youth Action Coalition, which bills itself as " young people dedicated to raising the power and civic involvement of their peers, " some 15 teenagers endorsed their own slate of youth-friendly candidates who are running for city council.

The list of eight endorsees includes some predictable names: Henrietta Davis, Ken Reeves, and Mayor Anthony Galluccio, all of whom backed the effort to lower the voting age. So did long-standing school-committee member Denise Simmons, who is now making a run for city council. Meanwhile, the other four endorsees — Jacob Horowitz, Brian Murphy, Steve Iskovitz, and Ethridge King — are relatively youthful newcomers who have stressed the importance of getting young people involved in politics. Paul Heintz, the YAC co-chair, explains that these eight candidates were chosen because they " would support us in all our endeavors around teen empowerment. " To put it another way, they’ve pledged to help lower the voting age in municipal elections.

The thumbs-up from a bunch of determined teens — none of whom can actually vote — might not seem terribly important to those eyeing a council seat at Cambridge City Hall. But it has symbolism. Horowitz, who at age 24 stands out as the youngest candidate on the council ballot, says he couldn’t care less that these constituents cannot cast votes. " To me, " he adds, " to see such involvement at such a young age is remarkable.... They want to come out and be heard, even though they cannot vote. It shows the city council that young people want the council to be accountable to them, too. "

For the young Cantabrigians, their endorsement serves a larger purpose as well. It reminds people about the initiative to lower the voting age, which YAC plans to refile as soon as the new council is installed in January. Although their staunchest council supporter, Councilor Jim Braude, has chosen not to seek re-election and won’t be around to lead the charge — a development that Heintz describes as " a real blow " — Heintz and colleagues are looking forward to a more receptive council this time. Two vacant seats (Councilor Kathy Born has also stepped down) ensure that the council will be infused with new blood come January. And talk among the political prognosticators has pinned Simmons and Murphy as the front-runners among a slew of challengers vying for those seats. If they were elected, Heintz notes, " we’d have a five-to-four vote in support of allowing 17-year-olds to vote. " (Though Galluccio supports the measure, he wants to modify it to extend the franchise to 17-year-olds instead of 16-year-olds.) " We’re hoping to change some minds about the 16-year-old threshold, " Heintz adds. " But either way, the proposal has a much better chance of succeeding this time. "

Issue Date: October 18 - 25, 2001