Two supervisors pushing to lower voting age to 16.

It was war that moved the U.S. to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971, and today another kind of violence is pushing communities to lower the voting age even lower to age 16.

One of the arguments that spurred Congress to pass the 26th Amendment was that if young people were old enough to fight in Vietnam, they were old enough to vote.

In recent years it’s the rise in gun violence in communities and schools that is prompting some communities to consider empowering 16- and 17-year-olds with the right to make decisions over who will represent them and the issues that impact them, including violence.

Even before the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the #NeverAgain movement showed the power teens have speaking out on an issue, voters in three Maryland cities since 2013 had already agreed to lower the voting age to 16, and those cities report voter turnout among teens has been strong.

Two years ago in Berkeley 70 percent of voters approved a measure to lower the voting age to 16, but only in school board elections.

Now two Monterey County supervisors—Luis Alejo and Simon Salinas—are pushing to be the first county in the country to lower the voting age by two years for all elected positions in unincorporated areas as well as cities, school and college districts and other special districts.

They’re proposing the Monterey County Elections Office conduct research, community outreach and prepare for the Board of Supervisors a ballot measure for the November 2020 General Election, they announced Oct. 18, in a joint press release.

In a county with a significant number of young people—the median age is 34.3 years overall and 26.8 years for native-born citizens—they argue the proposal would increase young voters’ knowledge and interest in politics and create a habit of lifelong voting.

The two are working in conjunction with a statewide group, Power California, an alliance of around 30 community and youth organizations working with young voters of California and their families. Luis Sanchez, co-executive director of the nonprofit, says lowering the voter age is crucial.

“Policies like these are critical to ensuring that young people exercise their voting power earlier and more often,” he said in the press release.

Power California conducted a poll of young Californians this year showing that more than two thirds of youth highly value voting and nearly one in two find voting rules too restrictive.

“We know that young people care about politics and social issues. Allowing them to vote earlier, coupled with voter education and mobilization efforts, will ensure that California’s emerging electorate is included and empowered,” he said.

Ultimately, he believes giving young people the opportunity to have an active voice in political decisions will lead to stronger, healthier communities.

Alejo linked the right of younger teens to vote to the issue of youth violence, stating that the move, “would be addressing the violence by empowering our young people with political decision-making power and enfranchisement to have their needs better addressed by their elected officials.

“It would be a powerful message to send to our local youth and an effective way to make positive social change in our local communities,” Alejo said.

Already 16- and 17-year-old Californians are pre-registering to vote in big numbers. Since Senate Bill 113 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2014 and went into effect in 2016, almost 210,000 have pre-registered.

Alejo expects the proposal to come before the Board of Supervisors early in 2019.