Youth Voting Rights Implementation

In Berkeley and Oakland, 16 and 17 year olds are set to participate in local school board elections after years of advocacy and delays. Initiatives to allow youth voting began with Berkeley's Measure Y1 in 2016, which aimed to grant students voting rights, but implementation stalled due to lack of funding from the city. Despite this setback, sustained pressure from local organizations, especially Oakland Kids First, helped galvanize student activism around civic engagement. The excitement is palpable as young voters finally prepare to exercise their rights, marking a significant change in local governance.