Nebraska lawmakers considered a measure this week that would welcome kids to the ballot box.
Senator Terrell McKinney of Omaha – District 11 (Photo: Nebraska Unicameral Information Office)
On Thursday, Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha briefed the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on LR284CA, a constitutional amendment that would put the question of lowering the voting age to 16 on the 2026 general election ballot.
Currently in Nebraska, a resident who turns 18 on or before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is eligible to vote in the calendar year of that birthday.
The big 16 is a milestone age in the U.S., McKinney argued, with many youth beginning to engage in activities regulated by lawmakers, including driving, working, and paying taxes. The Omaha lawmaker also pointed to other countries which allow 16-year-olds to vote, such as Germany, the U.K., and Greece.
“This could increase civic engagement, strengthen civic education and promote lifelong participation in the voting process,” McKinney told the committee.
Holly Bowen, a junior at Lincoln Southeast High School, testified in favor of the proposal. Bowen is turning 18 in December, and she’ll lament missing the 2026 general election.
“The teens of Nebraska are subject to a government they did not ask for,” she said. “We drive these streets, we work for this community, we attend these schools and we want our voice to be heard.”
Kieran Kissler, the public policy director for Civic Nebraska, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement, told lawmakers that young voters show out when given the chance. In countries where similar measures have passed, voter turnout is greater among 16- and 17-year-olds than among those 18 to 21 year old, she said.
The measure drew no oppositional testimony. The committee took no immediate action on LR284CA.