Vote 16. Residents have another month to weigh in on whether they support a move by the College Park City Council to lower the voting age for city elections to 16.
The council was scheduled to vote on the proposed charter amendment at its Feb. 4 meeting, but decided to postpone taking action until after the vacant District 3 council seat is filled on March 11 in a special election.
A couple of residents spoke at a Feb. 4 public hearing to object to the change, while multiple representatives of Vote16, a national organization that advocates for teen voting rights, spoke in favor of it.
In previous discussions, most councilmembers said they would support the change, which has already taken effect in a few neighboring cities, like Hyattsville and Takoma Park.
The council also postponed a vote on a second proposed charter amendment that would allow the mayor and council to appoint a replacement council member if a seat is vacated less than a year before the next election. Current law requires the city to hold a special election if the vacancy occurs when the end of the term is greater than 180 days from the next election.