Legislative Log: Rep. Marvin Nelson says he wants to lower voting age to 16

Vote Pin, Photo Date: January 19, 2016 / Photo: U.S. Army / (MGN)
Vote Pin, Photo Date: January 19, 2016 / Photo: U.S. Army / (MGN)
Published: Nov. 14, 2018 at 5:42 PM CST
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North Dakota had a record smashing turnout for a midterm election on November 6, but Rep. Marvin Nelson, D-Rolla, wants more voters. To do that, he wants a constitutional amendment lowering the voting age to 16 in North Dakota.

"Everybody says, 'Well I don't know that every 16-year-old is ready to vote.' But, I don’t know that every 40-year-old is ready to vote," said Nelson.

Washington D.C. recently considered a bill lowering the voting age, but the city council voted Tuesday to keep it from progressing.

North Dakota would be the first state to lower the age to 16.