A number of state legislatures have introduced bills that aim to
increase youth voter participation. Proposals have included lowering
the voting age, allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections and
advance registration for 16-year-olds. Minnesota introduced a constitutional amendment lowering the voting age from 18 to 16. In Connecticut, the legislature is considering two bills (HJ 7, HJ 11) that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 before the general election. Three states--California, Maryland and
Pennsylvania--want to promote youth voter participation through advance
registration and by establishing "high school voter weeks" twice a
year. Strengthening civic education in high schools was considered (but
did not make it through committee) in Florida and Indiana, but a FairVote-backed civic education bill in Maryland was signed into law.Read more about FairVote's 100% Youth Voter Registration Project
Read about FairVote's high school voting curriculum, Learning Democracy
In an exciting electoral double-whammy, the National Popular Vote bill passed the State Senate in both North Carolina and California on May 14, 2007.
The week of May 7th, 2007, was a big week for IRV across the country. The Illinois Senate approved legislation that would adopt ranked ballots for military and overseas voters. The Vermont House Government Operations Committee approved a bill, already approved by the Senate, to adopt IRV for U.S. Senate and House races in Vermont. In California, the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved legislation that would give local governments the option of using IRV.