Never let it be said that California’s Democratic legislature doesn’t work hard on behalf of…its own interests.
The latest proposal from Sacramento, Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 10, would make the Golden Sate first in the nation to fully allow 17-year-olds to vote in elections.
“We want to expand the opportunity,” said Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), author of the constitutional amendment that would have to be approved by a statewide vote in 2018.Although other states allow 17-year-old citizens to vote in a primary as long as they will be 18 by the time of the general election, the proposal introduced by Low and a bipartisan group of young legislators would empower younger voters to cast ballots.
However, before our friends in other states get too excited (or concerned), voting rights would not apply to national elections.
The 26th Amendment prohibits states from setting a voting age above 18, but it doesn’t prevent a younger voting age, according to Low’s office. However, David A. Carrillo, executive director of the California Constitution Center at UC Berkeley’s School of Law, says 17-year-olds would not be able to vote in national elections.”The 17-year-old voting age will only apply to state and local elections,” he said via email. “The 26th Amendment only precludes denial by states of the right of citizens who are 18 years of age or older to vote.”
Of course, the bill’s sponsor insists the reason for the measure is purely noble.
“The 17-year-old voting age will only apply to state and local elections,” he said via email. “The 26th Amendment only precludes denial by states of the right of citizens who are 18 years of age or older to vote.”Research shows that voters who start voting early tend to make going to the polls a lifelong habit, according to Low’s office. California is one of 11 states that allows 16-year-olds to “preregister” to vote, but they still can’t actually vote until they’re 18.
I suspect the true reason is based on the fact that statistic show that voters between the ages of 18 and 34 are more than twice as likely be Democrats rather than Republicans. This is a opportunity to expand…the Democratic Party power-base.
Is there any hope for California to at least have competitive elections so that the Democrats can be effectively challenged in the state’s Assembly or Senate? Probably not in the foreseeable future.
However, there might be a ray of sunshine for the rest of the country in the news that a new fault-line has been identified that could be the epicenter of a major quake:
Scientists uncovered a newly identified fault line that could unleash a magnitude-7.4 earthquake in the region, which other researchers say is already long overdue for a whopper of a temblor along the infamous San Andreas fault.The concerns are detailed in separate studies that put the quake risks of the USA’s most populous state into much sharper focus.The newly identified fault line is capable of a powerful quake that would impact 20 million residents of Los Angeles and San Diego, according to a study published Tuesday. The fault runs underwater from San Diego Bay to Seal Beach in Orange County and on land through the Los Angeles basin, researchers found.
Perhaps, a #CalExit in the fullest sense of the word?
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