October 31, 2024
This November for the first time ever in California, some 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to vote.
Voters in Oakland and Berkeley both passed measures years ago to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections, but it took four and eight years, respectively, for the Alameda County Registrar of Voters to implement the law.
A high school junior reflects on the significance of this moment and the importance of civic engagement for teenagers.
Guests:
- Sophie Mehoulley, high school junior and member of Oakland Youth Vote Coalition
- Emily Hamill and Kelcie Lee, college student journalists, California Student Journalism Corps
Read more from EdSource:
- Berkeley, Oakland teens cast first votes in school board elections
- Hope, frustration and hard lessons as youth try to lower voting age for school board
- Teens fight for the right to vote for school board
Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely and produced by Coby McDonald.