Don’t be surprised if you see an article on the fall Regular Town Meeting warrant aimed at lowering the voting age in local elections to 16. The Youth Council voted in June to push Town Meeting for a home rule petition to that effect.

But don’t worry. It would only apply to municipal elections (wink, wink). The “kiddos” wouldn’t be voting for president, congressman, state rep or senator. Not yet anyway.

The idea of limiting the lowered voting age to municipal elections appears intended to assuage public concerns. Based on turnout, voters judge municipal elections to be less important than, say, presidential elections. Turnout for the Annual Town Election in Wakefield is typically well under 20 percent, whereas upwards of 80 percent will show up to vote for president. So, “Let the kids vote for Town Council and School Committee,” seems to be the pitch. “How much harm could they do?”

A lot. Contrary to public perception, municipal elections have a much more direct impact on a community’s quality of life than national or state elections. And since turnout is much lower for municipal elections, that’s where tinkering with the voting age can most affect outcomes, which is the whole point.

The issue surfaced on the Youth Council agenda at a meeting last fall. Where did the idea come from? We can only guess. But it does not appear to be rooted in a groundswell of voting interest among the mid-teen demographic.

The law already allows 16 and 17-year-olds to “pre-register” to vote. But the Youth Council found that fewer than 25 percent of 16 and 17-years olds at Wakefield High School have actually pre-registered.

The Youth Council also did its own survey to gauge interest among the WHS student body in lowering the voting age to 16. They got a whopping 170 responses. Fewer than 50 percent thought lowering the voting age was a good idea. Maybe the kids know something that their adult mentors don’t.

Of course, the grownups advising the Youth Council on this initiative believe that their side will benefit by letting children vote. If the adults thought it would hurt their political team, they’d be going all out to debunk any talk of lowering the voting age.

But there may be a new wrinkle.

Recent polls show that young males are not buying into the woke agenda. Boys are notorious for rejecting the values of their parents and teachers. There’s no doubt whatsoever that the Wakefield High School jocks overwhelmingly favored keeping the traditional Wakefield Warrior logo. It’s entirely possible that encouraging them to vote might not produce the desired result.

Be careful what you wish for.
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[This column originally appeared in the July 24, 2025 Wakefield Daily Item.]