By Kimberly Holtzinger
In a historic first for California, 16-17 year olds in Oakland and Berkeley were eligible to vote for School Board directors in the last general election. It took years of effort to get to this point. While 68% of Oakland and 70% of Berkeley voters supported this reform in 2020 and 2016, respectively, procedural and technical challenges slowed implementation for years.
But the movement may be taking off. Oakland is so far the largest American city to give young people this right. Youth in Albany were successful last fall in passing Measure V by 64%, which goes further than the Oakland and Berkeley measures by allowing 16-17 year olds to vote for school board directors and also their City Council and local measures. In 2024 77% of Iowa voters approved allowing 17 year olds who would be 18 by the time of the general election to vote in primaries.
LWVO championed this reform and has, through its YOUthDecide Committee, worked with the Oakland Youth Vote Coalition to inform high school students about voting and get them registered to vote. In particular we focussed on getting 16-17 year olds pre-registered so they could vote for OUSD directors. YD volunteers and students expressed tremendous enthusiasm.
We held 45 classroom sessions and tabling events
“We registered 46 students by noon and one young, Black woman looked at me and said, ‘Wait a minute, you mean I can vote?’ Mission accomplished. One step at a time”
— YD Volunteer, at a Fremont tabling event
We visited 14 high schools and youth groups
“. . . rewarding moments seeing how eager and excited students were about registering and pre-registering.”
— YD Volunteer, assisting students at Street Academy
We engaged >880 students in discussions about voting
“Students were transfixed by the LWVO videos of Candidate Forums.”
— YD Volunteer, showing students how to research their ballot choices
We submitted 558 registration forms to the Registrar of Voters
“Exhausting and exhilarating, mostly exhilarating”
—YD Volunteer, racing to beat the deadline for submission of registrations
Ballots went to pre-registered 16-17 year olds in Oakland Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7, the districts holding OUSD elections in 2024
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to vote this year, but I enjoyed following news around the local and federal elections and it felt good to be part of something like this.”
— Skyline High student who assisted others in registering
244 Oakland 16-17 year olds cast ballots, out of about 3,500 pre-registered in all Districts
"Walking up to that ballot box was an empowering experience—a truly historic moment we will never forget."
— Fremont student
One young woman at Oakland Tech expressed an appetite for civic engagement shared by many of her peers, as follows:
I have participated in mock governments of many sizes, hoping one day to participate in the real thing. What I didn't realize, however, is that I didn't need to complete college and climb the career ladder to start — by voting in the school board election, my single voice of support joined the euphony of democracy. I'd like to thank the League of Women Voters of Oakland for helping me take this monumental step and allowing me to help my peers take it too.
“We look forward to continuing to ride this enthusiasm and energy to increase the numbers of informed young voters,” said Peggy Lipper, co-chair of our YD Committee. Outreach and education will continue and LWVO encourages new members to volunteer to register new voters and participate in non-partisan voter education. Contact info@lwvoakland.org. “We will try to debrief with the ROV's office, the schools' staff and the youth-organizers with whom we partnered to find ways to improve,” Lipper added.
Enfranchisement for 16-17 year olds in the U.S. first occurred in five Maryland municipalities in 2013. But the total population of the regions in Maryland where youth voting is allowed is just 16% of the combined total population of Berkeley and Oakland. In the decade since Maryland first permitted youth voting, youth participation in elections there was higher proportionally compared to adult voter participation.
While high proportions of youth voters are encouraging, research suggests that higher pre-registration rates correlate with larger white and higher income populations. This appears to be the case in Oakland, where almost half the youth votes came from District 1, a relatively affluent District.