Should 16-Year-Olds Be Able To Vote In MA Elections?: Proposed Bills Would Allow It

MASSACHUSETTS — It was nearly two years ago, in his final months as a Swampscott Select Board member, that Peter Spellios proposed what at the time seemed like sweeping changes to the town's election structure in an effort to boost sagging voter turnout and engagement.

Calling the voter participation efforts in the annual spring elections "embarrassingly low," Spellios proposed changes to the election date to a Saturday, as well as allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote for townwide offices and ballot initiatives.

"This sends a really clear message that this is a priority for us," Spellios said at the time. "That this is important for us. It's not going to replace the need to get out the word about elections,to talk about elections and encourage elections.

"But it's certainly going to start sending a very strong message about it."

The efforts to have the changes on a special town meeting warrant eventually shifted to the formation of a Town Election Review Committee in the town, which is still in the process of sending recommendations to the current Select Board. But the proposals that may have seemed radical to some in the North Shore town when Spellios first proposed them are gaining some traction on a statewide level after several other cities and towns, including Boston, Somerville, Concord, Acton, Northhampton and Southborough, also proposed similar changes.

The voting changes on a local level would have to be accepted as home-rule petitions at the State House. Meanwhile, a series of bills now under consideration on Beacon Hill would allow those 16 or older to vote in local, state or potentially even federal elections.

Some of the bills would make the teen voting rights universal, while others would allow them to vote if political parties consent to it.

Spellios said at the time that his warrant articles were prompted by the fact that town elections in Massachusetts — typically held throughout the spring — do not benefit from the voter bump that occurs with cities that hold their election on the state and federal cycles with September primaries and November general elections.

The turnout in the 2023 Swampscott annual town election was 13.8 percent, with 16.25 percent of registered voters voting in 2022, 19.12 percent voting in 2021, 16.9 percent voting in 2020, 22.11 percent voting in 2019 and 9.45 percent voting in 2018 — for a six-year average of 16.3 percent.

Over the last 50 years, according to the figures Spellios provided, voting in federal elections had gone down 2.3 percent, voting in state elections had gone down 7.9 percent, and voting in local elections in Swampscott had gone down 45 percent.

Swampscott this fall sought resident input on voting habits as the town seeks to improve engagement and participation in the town's annual election process.

The Committee was set to present its findings, including the survey results, to the Select Board and on the floor of the annual town meeting to help determine if any changes should be made to voting procedures or the town election process.

Twenty-one states, including Rhode Island, have laws that allow the potential of voters younger than 18 to head to the polls on election day.

The bills are all currently in committee on Beacon Hill.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)