WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at her weekly press conference Thursday she personally would support lowering the national voting age to 16.
“I myself, personally, I’m not speaking for my caucus, I myself have always been for lowering the voting age to 16,” Pelosi said when asked by The Daily Caller about her thoughts on the issue. “I think it’s really important to capture kids when they’re in high school when they’re interested in all of this when they’re learning about government to be able to vote.”
“Some of the priorities in this bill are about transparency and openness and accessibility, and the rest,” she added. “That’s a subject of debate but my view is that I would welcome it, but I’ve been in that position for a long time.”
U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) arrives at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The issue of lowering the voting age came up for debate in the House as an amendment last week on the “For The People Act,” a Democratic pushed bill (H.R. 1) that would overhaul U.S. election and campaign finance laws. Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley introduced the amendment, but it failed 126-305. (RELATED: 125 Democrats And 1 Republican Vote To Lower Voting Age To 16)
.@SpeakerPelosi: It’s “really important” to lower the voting age to 16. pic.twitter.com/cnUxSds1T3
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 14, 2019
Since 2013, thirteen states have proposed bills to lower the voting age. Some of the proposals are strictly for school board elections while others are for state elections.
H.R. 1, however, did pass the House through its Democratic majority, despite opposition from the ACLU. (RELATED: ACLU Joins McConnell And Trump Administration In Opposing Democrats’ ‘For The People Act’)
The ACLU, pointing to the DISCLOSE section of the bill, said it would “unconstitutionally infringe the freedoms of speech and association.” That section requires the disclosure of “names and addresses of donors who gave $10,000 or more to organizations that engage in ‘campaign-related disbursements,’ which includes electioneering communications and independent expenditures.”
WILMINGTON, NC – MAY 6: Voters cast their ballots at the Williston Middle School polling station the morning of May 6, 2008 in Wilmington, North Carolina. Voters in Indiana and North Carolina have their primary polls May 6. (Photo by Logan Mock-Bunting/Getty Images)
“I disagree with the ACLU on this. In terms of legislation, we couldn’t be prouder of H.R. 1.” Pelosi said when asked by the Caller about the ACLU’s concerns. “This is about reducing the role of big dark special interest money in politics and empowering small donors. It’s about ending voter suppression. It’s about making re-districting fairer. It’s really a source of joy and hope to so many people in the country.”
Kerry Picket is a host on SiriusXM Patriot 125
