For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds who live in College Park will be able to vote for mayor and city councilmembers in the upcoming city election.

The College Park City Council voted 5-3 in April to lower the voting age for city elections from 18 to 16, making College Park the ninth Maryland city to allow teens to vote.

“I think it lets the people who didn’t choose to live here have a say,” 16-year-old Lucas Rigg, who lives in College Park’s Calvert Hills neighborhood, said. Rigg is the son of Councilmember John Rigg (District 3), who championed teen voting rights with the city council and is not running for re-election.

Teens and others must be registered to vote with the Prince George’ County Board of Elections to participate in city elections.

Voting will be at City Hall (7401 Baltimore Ave.) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Early voting will be at Davis Hall (9217 51st Ave.) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Some College Park teens told College Park Here & Now they are ready and qualified to cast their ballots.

“I think it’s cool,” Lovisa Jordan, 16, said. “I think that it’s an option that we can get our voices and opinions heard.”

Jordan is the daughter of District 2 city council candidate Kelly Jordan, and lives in College Park’s Berwyn neighborhood.

“I just feel like we get to [have] our input and make decisions that impact our lives,” the younger Jordan said.

Lucas Rigg agreed, noting that when teenagers vote for local officials, it makes those in authority aware of the perspective of young people who live in the city “and what we want for the city.”

Jordan noted that preparing to vote could make teenagers more aware of what’s going on in the city and the candidates who want to run it “because when we don’t vote, we don’t really have a reason to know.”

She added: “I think anyone can be uninformed and anyone can be informed, especially 16 and up. Sixteen is when people would consider teenagers to start being competent because we can get our license and stuff.”

Seventeen-year-old Lazarus McCarthy, who lives in College Park’s Yarrow neighborhood, said having the vote could entice teens to become more civically involved.

“The younger groups … might not even consider how they can impact the community around them,” McCarthy said. “It gives people time to get involved with their community.”

Still, McCarthy said he does not intend to vote, partly because he only recently learned that he could.

“I’m not sure how [the elections] affect me at all,” McCarthy, a DeMatha Catholic High School student, said. “I’m not sure what role [the mayor or councilmembers] would play in my life, specifically.”

Jordan, who attends DuVal High School, and Rigg, a DeMatha student, said they will vote.

But Dylan Cooney-Barrera, 17, said he will not.

“I think that [16 and 17] is a little bit too young,” said Cooney-Barrera, who also attends DeMatha and lives in College Park’s Old Town neighborhood. “Younger kids are too influenced by social media and stuff. They won’t make a thought-through decision. I don’t believe that every single teen would be able to do that, do their correct research about all these politicians.”

Still, he said, he plans to vote when he is older.

“I do think of it as a duty, when I turn as an adult, to contribute … to the city. But for right now … I need to educate myself a little bit more.”

McCarthy noted that voting in a local election at a young age could prepare teens for casting their ballots in state and national elections later.

“When they get to the presidential election every four years, they can be more experienced on how to vote,” he said.

McCarthy added that the city should partner with high schools to let teenagers know that they’re allowed to vote in local elections.

“If they just educate the students, maybe they can use this as a learning opportunity,” he said. “That’s probably the most direct way to reach” potential teen voters.