Culver City voters to decide if 16-year-olds can cast local ballots

Arlo Meighan-Thiel, a 16-year-old junior at Culver City High School, is knocking on doors across his neighborhood. He wants to vote in the city’s elections now, not in two years when he turns 18. His campaign hinges on a local ballot measure, Measure YV, that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The proposal would amend the Culver City charter to permit 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in municipal and school board contests. Youth voters would not participate in county, state, or federal elections. This is the second attempt to pass such a measure in the Westside city. A similar initiative failed in 2022 by just 16 votes, despite garnering 8,293 supports, a number higher than any single City Council candidate received that year.

Supporters argue that teenagers who already work, drive, and pay taxes possess the maturity to influence local decisions regarding schools, parks, and public safety. In California, 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote, a process that has been available since 2016. Adina Austin, the 17-year-old vice president of Vote16 Culver City, cited recent school budget cuts and staff reductions as motivation for the push. “This isn’t just meant to help teens,” Austin said. “It’s meant to help our country as a whole.”

Opponents contend that lowering the voting age creates a captive, impressionable voting bloc. Five opponents, including City Council member Albert Vera and former Mayor Ed Wolkowitz, warned in a voter guide statement that teen contact information would become public record. They argued this would expose students to political solicitation from strangers. “Is that the school district you want?” the statement asked. “Do you want it to become a political football?”

Wolkowitz, who served on the council from 1994 to 2002, called the age cutoff arbitrary but necessary. “You have to have a cut-off date somewhere,” he said. He noted that while many teenagers are capable, those under 18 can already advocate for their positions without casting ballots. Ron Bassilian, president of the PAC Protect Culver City, added that his group would pursue legal channels to access voter data if the measure passes, treating young voters the same way the organization treats adults.

The City Council voted 3-2 in February to place the measure on the ballot at the request of Vote16 Culver City. Vice Mayor Bryan “Bubba” Fish supported the initiative, stating that young people bear the brunt of housing and climate crises. “The least we can do is let our young people have a seat at the table,” Fish said. Culver City would join a small group of U.S. municipalities, including Takoma Park, Md., Berkeley, and Oakland, that allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections.

Vote16 Culver City is part of Vote16USA, a national organization funded by the Goodnation Foundation. In Alameda County, Berkeley, Oakland, and Albany have already implemented similar measures. The Alameda County elections office confirmed that eligible pre-registered youth voters in those cities will receive vote-by-mail ballots for this year’s school board elections. In Culver City, canvassers continue to visit homes, aiming to win the support of adult voters who will decide the fate of the measure.