NHS Student Works To Extend Voting Rights To 17-Year-Olds

By Martha Coville

Newtown High School student Mark Fernandez wants to change the oldest constitution in the world. For his senior project, Mark is working to help Connecticut State Representative James Spallone amend the state’s constitution.

Connecticut traces its constitution back to the colonial Fundamental Orders of 1638–1639. Although many historians assert that several other constitutions predate Connecticut’s, the nickname “Constitution State,” has stuck. It’s even inscribed on Connecticut license plates.

Mark supports a bill which Rep Spallone first introduced to the General Assembly’s House of Representatives last year. The bill, back on the table this year, proposes that 17-year-olds be allowed to vote in primary elections, provided they turn 18 before the general election.

Mark said he thinks the bill will allow Connecticut voters to become “more involved over all.” Mark said that while politicians and civic leaders alike advocate for greater voter turnouts, encouraging young adults to vote is especially important. “The earlier people get involved in an election,” he said, “the more likely they are to stay involved.”

Mark said that he doesn’t necessarily plan a career in politics. “The elections are coming up, though,” he said, “so I’m interested in that.” And the bill he’s supporting is particularly relevant as the United States continues the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said. “It doesn’t make sense that 17-year-olds can sign up to go into the army, but they can’t vote for someone who could potentially send them to war.”

Mark said that when he began his senior project, he knew he wanted to participate in a program that encouraged voter turn out, or made it easier to citizens and residents to register to vote. He turned to the career center at NHS for guidance. “I knew Mrs Ragaini had the ability to get me in touch with a mentor like Rep Spallone,” he said. Ms Ragaini is the school to career coordinator at NHS.

At Ms Ragaini’s recommendation, Mark contacted the representative, who is from Connecticut’s 36th assembly district, and learned that he was sponsoring legislation allowing 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by a general election to vote in that election’s primary.

“Publicizing The Bill”

Mark said that his job has been “helping Rep Spallone publicize the bill.” So far, he said, he’s been to Hartford twice, first to testify before the Government Administration and Elections Committee, before which the bill was proposed, and then to speak at a press conference sponsored by Rep Spallone.

His campaign for the amendment has taught him a lot about the early steps of “how a bill is passed.” After a legislator has presented a bill to a committee, Mark said, “it has to go through a process of evaluation, where you have public testimony.” Any interested party may speak for or against the bill during this process, he said.

Mark said that his testimony focused on how Rep Spallone’s amendment to the constitution would encourage younger people to participate in the political process. Again, he said, people who begin voting at a younger age are more likely to continue to vote over their lifetimes.

Mark also said that the amendment would actually make it easier for young people to register to vote. “It’s harder to get involved when you go to college,” he said. While it’s easy enough for students registered in their hometowns to vote by absentee ballet during a presidential election, students who are not registered scramble at the last minute to find a way to vote. Some end up not voting at all.

Another argument for allowing 17-year-olds to vote, Mark said, would be the promotion of constructive political discussion. He said that enfranchised teenagers would be more interested in talking about politics, and hopes that the amendment would prompt more “family discussions” about current affairs.

Finally, Mark said his testimony refuted an accusation that the proposed amendment has a “hidden partisan agenda.” Rep Spallone is a Democrat, and Mark said that “some Republicans think that if this is passed, more Democrats will go to vote, which is what young people often are.” But he said he didn’t think this is true. “If we get more voters in Connecticut, there’s inherently some that are going to be Republican,” he explained.

“An Overwhelming Majority” Predicted

Currently, Mark said that Rep Spillane’s amendment is still before the Government Administration and Elections Committee. “The bill has to pass through the committee,” he said. “That’s called proposing the bill.” Once the committee votes on the bill, it will go before the General Assembly.

Mark said that Rep Spillane had actually put this same bill before committee in the last assembly session, and that it went to a vote before the House of Representatives. In fact, it faired pretty well. One hundred and five representatives voted for it; 36 voted against it, and ten representatives were absent.

But since allowing 17-year-olds to vote requires an amendment to the state constitution, Mark explained that it would have to be passed, not by a simple majority, by a majority of three-fourths in both houses. Mark said people he has spoken with are “predicting it will pass with an overwhelming majority.”

Finally, after it has been approved by the General Assembly and Governor M. Jodi Rell, the amendment will be put before Connecticut’s voters on the November 2008 ballet.

“Self Motivated Students”

“I intend to stay involved after the senior project is over,” Mark said. “I told Rep Spallone that I’d like to work with him afterwards. Even if the bill doesn’t pass this year, for some reason, I’d like to continue to work on it.”

But while he is working on his senior project, Mark says he would like to publish an article about the proposed amendment in the NHS newspaper, and to circulate a petition through the high school.

His senior project, Mark says, is “as much work as a regular class.” He and the other students who are doing senior projects meet together regularly. “I think the people who choose to do the senior project are self motivated,” he said, because it requires self-discipline.

Mark said that he handed in 25 pages of written material for his project on March 25. Among other documents, he said, he wrote up the testimony he gave at the elections committee and at Rep Spallone’s press conference.

All of the students in Mark’s senior project class will present their projects at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 8 at NHS.

Students or residents interested in supporting the bill to allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 before to general election to vote in that election’s primary can contact Mark at markfern@charter.net. Rep Spallone can be reached James.Spallone@cga.ct.gov or at 860-240-8585.