Senate Bill 10 addresses a loophole in our state’s election laws that was discovered back during the special election in 2017 that saw Senator Stephanie Hansen replace Bethany Hall Long, who had been elected Lt. Governor.
You see, if you are going to be 18 years old by the next general election, then state law allowed those under 18 years old to vote in primary elections, and the law was silent on special elections. Thus, those who would be 18 by November 2018 could vote in a special election in February 2017.
The law is no longer silent on this issue. Senator Bryan Townsend has introduced a bill that states that voters must be 18 years old or older on the day of the final stage election, such as a special general election held in an off year. However, people younger than 18 years of age can vote in any preliminary election, such as primary elections, if they will be 18 years of age at the time of the final-stage election.
Where is the bill? Passed the Senate 20-0-1. Passed House 41-0.
Democratic Sponsors: Townsend, Jaques, Viola, Hansen, Poore, Sokola, Sturgeon, Walsh, Brady, Chukwuocha
Republican Sponsors: Pettyjohn, Cloutier, Delcollo, Hocker, Lawson, Wilson, Briggs King, Gray, Yearick
YES VOTES – SENATE — Bonini Brown Cloutier Delcollo Ennis Hansen Hocker Lawson Lockman Lopez McBride McDowell Paradee Pettyjohn Richardson Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh Wilson ||| HOUSE — Baumbach Bennett Bentz Bolden Brady Briggs King Bush Carson Chukwuocha Collins Cooke D.Short Dorsey Walker Dukes Gray Griffith Heffernan Hensley Jaques K.Johnson K.Williams Kowalko Longhurst Lynn Matthews Michael Smith Minor-Brown Mitchell Morris Osienski Postles Q.Johnson Ramone Schwartzkopf Seigfried Shupe Smyk Spiegelman Vanderwende Viola Yearick
NO VOTES – SENATE — ||| HOUSE —
ABSENT – Poore
0 comments on “No More Voting by 16-17 year olds”