Like many 16-year-olds, Pamela Tatz, Vice President of the Berkeley, Calif. Chapter of the National Youth Rights Association, feels just as equipped as any 18-year-old to make informed political decisions. "What happens all of sudden when you're 18?" she asks. "Are you just randomly ready to vote?"

Adolescents across the United States turn now to New York City with fingers crossed. Children's PressLine interviewed several young suffrage activists, as well as Councilmember Brewer and local teens to get their reactions on the issue.

CPL: Why should the voting age be lowered?

Pamela Tatz, 16, National Youth Rights Association, Berkeley, Calif.: We live in America, and this is a democracy. When women wanted the right to vote, we told them they didn't need to vote because their husbands would vote in their best interest. That's what they're telling us now, that our parents will vote in our best interest. But even if your parents have your best interest at heart, they'll vote for what's in their own best interest.

Heather Kelley, 17, Washington Voting Rights Society, Olympia, Wash.: Basically, it's taxation without representation.

Jason Puz, 17, Washington Voting Rights Society, Olympia, Wash.: At the age of 16, teenagers are able to drive, which means they have IDs to verify who they are. At the age of 17, they can join the armed forces, and they can get married. Perhaps more importantly, they can be tried as adults for a serious crime. It's a double standard when we are told, "You're not responsible enough to be able to vote, but you're responsible enough to face the same penalties adults will."

CPL: Okay, how would lowering the voting age benefit youth?

Zach Hobesh, 15, National Youth Rights Association, Berkeley, Calif.: Lowering the voting age would establish voting habits in people younger than 18. Eighteen-year-olds are graduating high school, they are moving away from home, going away to college. They don't have time to register to vote and that is why many of them don't. So if they lowered it to 16, you'd have a lot more people in the habit of voting.

CPL: But don't you think some teenagers aren't mature enough to vote?

Pamela: Well, you could say a lot of adults aren't ready to vote either. When you're 18, are you just randomly ready to vote? It's not that simple. People say that 18, 19, and 20- year-olds don't vote enough. What they're not looking at is the big picture. If 16-year-olds could vote, they'd be in high school learning about politics and government, and they're being given classes about voting, before they vote.

Jason: The Voting Rights Act states that if you've completed a sixth grade education at a private or public school in any state, territory, the District of Columbia, or the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, you possess sufficient literacy comprehension and intelligence to vote in any election.

CPL: Heather mentioned that this was taxation without representation. How does that applies here?

Pamela: Right now, teenagers pay $9.7 billion a year in sales taxes alone. That's not even counting income tax. Eighty percent of teenagers in America work. That's a lot of money going into the taxes that we have no say in where it goes or how much is taken from us.

CPL: Why do you think some people criticize this idea?

CPL: How do you think parents would influence their children's voting decisions?

Pamela: A lot of adults vote the way their parents voted. It's not just kids.

Heather: We have a lot of people telling us that teens will vote exactly like their parents vote, but then we also have people telling us that teens will vote exactly the opposite of their parents just to get back at them. I think that teens think for themselves and understand how their decisions affect others, and affect their future, and so they will vote for the candidate they feel are best.

Kehlen Sachet, 17, Washington Voting Rights Society, Olympia, Wash.: A vote is a vote, it doesn't matter your reasoning or why, it's yours, you can use it however you want. There is no wrong vote.

CPL: Should there be specific criteria for 16-year-olds who want to vote? For example, if they're failing a class, should they be allowed to vote?
Pamela: I don't think failing a class has anything to do with the right to vote. Adults who don't have a job don't have the right to vote taken away.

Jason: Schools that are poor, which generally have more students that are going to fail, will have less of a say in the government than rich schools that are passing more kids. That becomes unfair and puts kids in a situation where those that are less well-off will have less of a voice. That's not at all how it should work. If anything, it should be the other way around.

CPL: If you had the ability to vote, would you vote Democrat or Republican?

Kehlen: That's a difficult question. We don't want this to turn into a party issue. It really affects everybody. It doesn't matter if you're Republican or Democrat.

by Children's PressLine journalists Nawal Arjini, 9; Lucia Di Lauro, 16; Jared Fishman, 10; Matthew Kunihro, 10; Elizabeth Negron, 13; Jah'sway Robinson, 11; Patricia D. Rogers, 16

NYC Kids React

What do kids in New York think about the possibility of voting in local elections? Here's what some told Children's PressLine:

Jessica, 14: Lowering the voting age will get another age's point of view. I think the number of voters will double because teens will be excited to vote.

Shukria, 15: I think the voting age should be 16 because most of the15- and 16- year-olds work, and they pay taxes. Why shouldn't we be able to vote?

Jordan, 15: We as teenagers see life—and who we want to be our leader—differently than our parents. The vote count would be totally different if we were able to vote. We would have John Kerry as president if teenagers had been able to vote.

Karen, 15: I would vote Democrat because I live with my mom, and she's a Democrat. Parents teach their children the difference between right and wrong, and that goes for politics, too.

Alvin, 15: The voting age should be 16. If you work, you pay taxes, and you should be able to make political decisions, including who you want your leader to be.

Jacky, 16: I believe young people should have the right to say what they want for themselves.

Jonathan, 16: Kids know what's best for them. I would vote for a better change in the world. To tell you the truth, I've been running the streets and everything, gang banging. It's nothing cool, but a lot of kids don't hardly listen to their parents half of the time, so they are not going to listen to them about voting.

Isar, 16: The right to vote is probably the most important right US citizens have. I would vote similarly to my parents because I have very similar views.

Erika, 17: It's a radical idea. Lowering the voting age brings a little flavor, a little "hip-ness" to our society. A lot of times, older people have traditional views, but younger people go with the flow and are open to new things.

Emily, 17: Many 16-year-olds are bored and should have a voice that should be heard through voting. It should be the responsibility of the government, the media, the political system, and society as a whole to inform kids about politics. The average child in America has very little voice in the policies that affect them. The right to vote gives citizens a small say in how their everyday lives are lead. It is the basis of democracy. It is one of the main reasons America was founded.

Tyrone, 18: I would vote to make a change in the world. Kids are more aware of what they want in life.

by Children's PressLine journalists, Samantha Akwei, 16; Anastasia Brown, 15; Elizabeth Negron, 13; Jah'sway Robinson, 11; and Shauna Staranko, 17

Councilmember Brewer on Lowering the Voting Age

CPL: Why should the voting age be lowered?

CPL journalists recently interviewed Councilmember Brewer on her commitment to youth suffrage.

CPL: You have adopted children. How do you think lowering the voting age would affect them?

Brewer: Right now, this is an adults-only discussion, and I think that elected officials have to answer to votes from young people. I think children in foster care, particularly children who are adopted, might have a different say as to how these systems operate. There are very few opportunities for housing for young people aging out of foster care, and I think that if there were [young] votes, the caseworker population would vote; then there might be more money allocated for housing. There will be much more discussion.

CPL: What issues might the government face if it lowers the voting age?

Brewer: I think young people would like to have more arts, athletics, school newspapers, you know, things that complement their academic work. Birth control, family planning—many of these old issues are looked at from an adult lens, but there are many topics that would change, not dramatically, but enough that young people would have influence.

CPL: Why is now a good time to change the voting age?

Brewer: The next municipal election will be in four years. So we have four years to convince people that 16 and 17 are old enough to vote. It's a time that the Federal Government is providing funding as also mandates for new machines and new processes in terms of voting, so between the two, I think it's a good time to be looking at the 16- and 17-year-olds.

CPL: How do you feel about parents who tell their kids, 'I don't think you're mature enough to vote'?

Brewer: I would hope parents wouldn't do that because we've been so conditioned that it's not cool to vote. You as a parent shouldn't be doing that. You could tell your son or daughter who to vote for, or you could tell them that they could vote for whomever they wish, but don't tell them not to vote.

CPL: Why are you so passionate about this issue?

Brewer: I have a lot of respect for the work done by Future Voters of America for how they presented questions to me as a candidate. I believe in what they believe in, which is that young people are a force, young people are articulate, and young people need skills like public speaking to be even more effective, and here is one more way for young people to get their word out. It would be a great message to the rest of the country and the world.