Allow 17-year-olds to paticipate in the CO Caucus
Target:
Colorado State Law Makers and Party Officials
Sponsored by:
Currently, Colorado state law forbids 17-year-olds, even if they will be 18 by the general election, from participating in the state caucuses. As a result, many civically engaged teens were barred from their neighborhood caucus in February.
Ten other states allow 17-year-olds to participate in the nomination process. Colorado could become the eleventh. The state could encourage teens to become politically active in high school and force politicians to be aware of teen concerns. Colorado could recognize a simple moral claim: if you can choose between the two final candidates, you should be allowed to choose amongst the larger pool.
Demand Colorado law makers allow 17-year-olds in the nomination process. Please sign this petition today!
Currently, Colorado state law forbids 17-year-olds, even if they will be 18 by the general election, from participating in the state caucuses. As a result, many civically engaged teens were barred from their neighborhood caucus in February.
Ten other states allow 17-year-olds to participate in the nomination process. Colorado could become the eleventh. The state could encourage teens to become politically active in high school and force politicians to be aware of teen concerns. Colorado could recognize a simple moral claim: if you can choose between the two final candidates, you should be allowed to choose amongst the larger pool.
Demand Colorado law makers allow 17-year-olds in the nomination process. Please sign this petition today!
Dear State Law Maker,
We the undersigned firmly believe everyone who can vote in November should have a hand in the caucuses. Our voices are important on so many issues -- teen pregnancy and abortion, paying for college, health care, foreign policy, and military service. We are increasingly affected by and interested in politics What%u2019s more, we live in a state that tries to encourage civic engagement by requiring a semester of civics at the high school level. Why do we then prevent informed and interested teens from voting?
Nine other states allow 17-year-olds to participate in the nomination process. I ask that you help make Colorado the 10th. Please change the caucus eligibility requirement (state statute 1-3-101) to allow those who will be 18 by the general election to participate in the Colorado caucuses.
Thank you.
We the undersigned firmly believe everyone who can vote in November should have a hand in the caucuses. Our voices are important on so many issues -- teen pregnancy and abortion, paying for college, health care, foreign policy, and military service. We are increasingly affected by and interested in politics What%u2019s more, we live in a state that tries to encourage civic engagement by requiring a semester of civics at the high school level. Why do we then prevent informed and interested teens from voting?
Nine other states allow 17-year-olds to participate in the nomination process. I ask that you help make Colorado the 10th. Please change the caucus eligibility requirement (state statute 1-3-101) to allow those who will be 18 by the general election to participate in the Colorado caucuses.
Thank you.
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We signed the "Allow 17-year-olds to paticipate in the CO Caucus" petition!
# 113:
# 112:
Although an active and informed student in high school and college, I did not turn 18 until after college had begun. I believe that my political concerns had a right to be voiced, as do our youth now.
# 111:
I think this is an incredibly important issue facing our nation today. With massive amounts of college-bound teens--moreso than ever before in history--political activism and awareness is essential.
# 110:
# 109:
# 108:
17-year-olds are smarter than you think they are, and they actually have quite a lot of great ideas. It's about time we stopped stereotyping ALL teenagers as delinquents based on the behaviors of only SOME. I was a 17-year-old just last year (going to MIT this fall) and I know: We are the future, and we want to be heard.
# 107:
Rock out with your caucus out!
# 106:
# 105:
I agree, Molly Beaver. All you little Beavers should be able to vote come age 17.
# 104:
Allowing teenagers to participate in the nominating process will encourage them to question their beliefs in depth. Most kids of this age have an idea of whether they lean more towards the left or the right, but picking between candidates for one party will help them to further define their ideologies and help shape the future of their party.
# 103:
This will encourage those who will be voting in November to be engaged in the process from the beginning and can only stregthen our democratic process.
# 102:
# 101:
I am a High School tutor in Crested Butte, and I believe that 17 year olds, who will be 18 by the election, should have the right to participate in the state caucuses. My students are incredibly well educated in politics and have strong opinions that would be beneficial to the caucus. Colorado should consider the opinion of all voters who will participate in the election.
# 100:
If they are allowed to sign up their senior year of high school to DIE for our country after they graduate (and are 18 that year), they are old enough to caucus. Early enrollement in the ARMY is the same scenario.
# 99:
# 98:
This is an extremely exciting and important election, therefore getting youth involved is crucial. Because another presidential election will not come around for another 4 years, and an exciting one may not come around for longer than that, it is important to get youth (even as young as 17) involved and excited about voting before they become apathetic. It is statistically shown that people that don't vote in the first few elections (presidential, senate, county, etc.) after turning 18 (or whenever they become legally able to vote), are less likely to vote in future elections than people that started voting young.
# 97:
# 96:
# 95:
I think that seventeen year olds should have the right to participate in the nomination process because it would give us experience and help us prepare for when we are legally of age to vote
# 94:
17 year olds should have the right since their close to the age of 18
# 93:
# 92:
I don't think we really need to get into this...I can't imagine a law maker who would want to bar someone who is going to be the legal minimum in the general election to be kept out of the caucus system. Help democracy work. Get folks, especially young and excited folks, involved. Please allow them to caucus!
# 91:
Power to the young voters!
# 89:
# 88:
# 87:
# 86:
# 85:
I have not voted as of now, but I believe that if a student turns eighteen by the time the general election rolls around, he/she should be allowed to also vote in the caucus, because the caucus definitely impacts the election. Everyone who has a voice needs to be heard,even if the voice is two months pre-mature.
# 84:
17 year-olds are now old enough to understand. Also, they pay attention to the news to know political standards.
# 83:
# 82:
because i think that everyone should be able to do that since we all have to deal with that when we get older
# 81:
# 80:
# 79:
Becasue teens can't vote in the caucus they don's have a reason to even show up and hear the politics. So that means more teens chould be voting just becasue a candidate has nice hair or pretty teeth.
# 78:
# 77:
I think that if 17 year-olds would turn 18 in time for the primary election their votes would have more of an impact if they were allowed to vote in the nominations.
# 76:
# 75:
Because I turn 18, 4 days before actual elections. I really would love to be able to do the pre-electons
# 74:
# 73:
# 72:
A voter at age 17 may be a voter for life. That's many voting years.... If you wait three more, the candidates, circumstances... may not be as compelling and you've lost them for how long?
# 71:
# 70:
# 69:
is this petition only for seniors?
# 68:
# 67:
I was at my caucus and my 17 year old showed up; it was his first time at the caucus and he could not participate. He turned 18 on March 30th and will participate in the general election. However, he was left out of the grass roots politics that impacts the general election.
# 66:
17 year olds can easily follow the elections and understand whats going on. There is no reason they shouldn't be able to vote.
# 65:
# 64:
i think we sould be able to vote at the age 17 becaues then there will be a better opinoin from the age gruop
# 63:
We are finally making a significant (and critical) effort to involve youth at all levels in the political process--why exclude them from the obvious first step of candidate selection? At times, the little hope I have left in our country comes from the high school seniors I teach (and yes, some of them are still 17)-- we need their passion, intelligence, and ingenuity in all stages of political participation.
# 62:
# 61:
If we are giving 18 year olds the chance to decide who is going to be in the white house during a general election, then they should have the right to caucus for their candidate earlier in the year even if they are not yet 18.
# 60:
# 59:
# 58:
I think that teens should have responibility of their future
# 57:
I went to a Cacus and I thought it was fun but my friends who will be old enough to vote came but weren't allowed to tell their opinion they were only allowed to watch
# 56:
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# 52:
Since maturity and the right of passage to adulthood is expected at the age of 17 (generally), along with that should come the right to vote.
# 51:
Many teens are really involved in the politics and really do care to about the elections. they should be able to be as involved with the caucus as their voting when 18
