16 year-old voter reg bill passes RI House

by Jack Santucci // Published June 13, 2006
The Rhode Island House of Representatives today passed a bill that would let high school students preregister to vote so that, when they turn 18, they're automatically placed on voter rolls.

High school registration is part of FairVote's 100% Registration project - one of our common sense reforms gaining traction around America.

If you're reading from the Take Back America conference, stop by our booth in the exhibition hall and grab the one-pager on 100% Youth Voter Registration.

RI General Assembly Bill Status System (search bill no. 8022):

Condition: {List Bills: 8022}

House Bill No.8022 BY Pacheco, Rice, Brien T, Diaz, Ajello ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTIONS -- REGISTRATION OF VOTERS (authorize persons 16 and 17 years of age who preregister to vote to automatically be registered upon reaching age 18) {LC3037/1} 04/25/2006 Introduced, referred to House Judiciary 05/30/2006 Scheduled for hearing 05/30/2006 Continued 06/06/2006 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration 06/06/2006 Committee recommends passage 06/06/2006 Placed on House Calendar 06/13/2006 House read and passed

Total Bills:1

Legislative Data System Room 1 06/13/2006 State House, Providence, Rhode Island 07:20 PM

Comments currently closed for 16 year-old voter reg bill passes RI House

  • So um does this make any since? NO. The argument is to let 16 year olds VOTE. Not pre-register to vote..what good does that do...none. not really. this is pointless..a waste of time. k thanks.

    Posted by Jeremy, 2006-11-15 11:47:59 (7 years ago)

  • While I think it is great that this bill would allow 16-year-olds in Rhode Island to register to vote, it still does not permit them to actually vote. I think that the voting age should be lowered to 16 or less because at this point in life, high school students already know a lot about the government and how it works. These high school students are usually working, and they have to pay all kinds of taxes - whether they do work or not. This is a pure case of taxation without representation. High schoolers are citizens - hard working tax payers - just like everyone else. It is unjust to deny someone the ability to vote just because of age. In many states, teenagers can be sent to the adult justice system at age 16, but yet, teenagers are not given the rights that adults enjoy. They think it is okay to punish 16- and 17-year-olds as adults, but when it comes to rights, they would rather treat them as inferiors.

    Posted by Tempus Fugit, 2006-06-16 16:11:55 (7 years ago)