Thousands of 17-year-olds could vote in California primaries if initiative passes, study says

A California ballot initiative could send tens of thousands of young voters to the polls during primary elections, according to a report from the Public Policy Institute of California released Thursday.

Proposition 18, which Californians will vote on in November, would allow 17-year-old voters to cast a ballot during primary elections, as long as they turn 18 before the following general election. The institute’s analysis found such a law would have affected 200,000 primary voters in 2016 and 2018, and could potentially affect which candidates make it to the fall general election.

In the 2016 and 2018 primaries, a total of 33 state legislative or congressional races had enough eligible voters under Proposition 18 to potentially move a different pair of candidates to the fall election, the institute reported.

Compared to older generations, Proposition 18 voters are also more likely to be Latino and to register with no party preference.

The report comes as support for the proposition begins to ramp up. It’s supported by the Democratic Party and the California Labor Federation, which argue expanding access to the ballot box gives young people a greater say in the democratic process and creates long-term voting habits.

“When we give young people a chance to vote in the full election cycle their first year of voting, we build lifelong voters and lifelong civic engagement habits,” said Mary Creasman, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters, during a news conference on Thursday.

Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, sponsored the bill that put the measure on the ballot. The legislation was largely opposed by Republicans in both chambers, with only three GOP members voting in favor of it.

The Election Integrity Project California, Inc., a nonprofit election watchdog organization, also opposed the bill. The group said such a law would send impressionable minors to the ballot box, and that 17-year-olds are unlikely to be able to cast an educated vote.

Currently, 16 and 17-year-old Californians can preregister to vote, but can’t cast a ballot until turning 18. According to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, there are about 108,000 17-year-olds preregistered to vote in California as of June 29.

But simply allowing younger Californians to vote doesn’t mean they will make it to the polls, the PPIC report said. In the past, those who have turned 18 in the cycle prior the primary and thus were eligible to vote under existing rules, often did not participate until the primary was over.

Only about half of newly-turned 18-year-olds registered in time for the primary, and fewer than half of those who registered actually voted in the primary itself, according to the institute.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the popularity of the state’s preregistration program is evidence that young voters are engaged and eager to participate in the full election process.

“If you’re going to be 18 years or older, a citizen of the United States, and eligible to vote in a general election, you should be eligible to vote in the primary, regardless of what month your birthday is in,” he said. “It’s just that simple. That’s common sense.”

The law would benefit young Californians like Victoria Dinov, who was one month shy of 18 during the March 2020 primary election.

“Now, as the general elections are approaching, I’m forced to vote, for the first time, for a group of candidates that I had no choice in selecting,” Dinov said. “Young people today suffer from the lowest turnout rate of any age group. This means our interests and our needs in terms of employment, environmental justice, gun control and more are incredibly underrepresented in our democracy.”

Eighteen other states and the District of Columbia already allow 17-year-olds to vote in their primary elections, including Washington, Nevada, and Utah. Mullin said it’s time for California to catch up.

“This is about basic fairness for those 18-year-old general election voters,” Mullin said. “California is such a leader on so many issues with regard to ballot access, but we are decidedly behind the curve on this one.”