Culver City, California — Measure YV
The case against
Vote 16 Culver City
Encouraging student civic participation is admirable. But giving 16-year-olds the vote is a different matter entirely. Here's what supporters of Measure YV aren't telling you.
What supporters of Measure YV aren't telling you
Supporters have highlighted data that helps their case and suppressed information that doesn't. Here's the rest of the story.
Supporters say
Research shows that 16-year-olds possess adult-level reasoning ability in calm, structured situations (cold cognition). They are mature enough to vote.
The rest of the story
The same research finds that psychosocial maturity — the ability to resist peer pressure, exercise impulse control, and control emotions (hot cognition) — does not reach adult levels until after age 18. Voting is not a purely logical exercise. School clubs and cliques could use peer pressure and emotional appeals to organize what could easily become the largest voting bloc in Culver City.
Icenogle et al. (2019); Steinberg (2008)
Supporters say
16-year-olds are as informed as many adults.
The rest of the story
Voting policy is based on population-wide standards, not exceptional individuals. Many more 16-year-olds are still developing independent political identities and remain heavily influenced by parents, teachers, and peer groups.
Supporters say
The voting age requirement is arbitrary.
The rest of the story
At 18, Americans become legal adults, can enter contracts, serve on juries, and join the military without parental approval. Lowering the voting age muddies this clear threshold for civic rights and responsibilities — with both known and unanticipated costs to Culver City taxpayers.
Supporters say
People who start voting at 16 become more engaged citizens.
The rest of the story
Research from Austria — where 16-year-olds have voted since 2007 — finds that newly eligible voters are no more likely to be civically engaged than any other age group.
Bronner & Ifkovits (2019)
Supporters say
16-year-olds who work pay taxes and deserve a say.
The rest of the story
Culver City voters primarily vote on property taxes. Few 16-year-olds own Culver City property. Less than 1% of 16- and 17-year-olds file state and federal income taxes. This measure would give them the power to vote for taxes they won't have to pay.
Culver City already voted — twice.
Culver City citizens rejected the Vote 16 measure on the ballot in 2022. A petition to again place it on the 2024 ballot failed to gather the required 2,914 signatures — 10% of the electorate. Despite this, Mayor Freddy Puza cast the tie-breaking vote to put the SAME MEASURE on the ballot again in 2026. Yet when hundreds of citizens asked for the Overland Project to be put to a vote, Mayor Freddy Puza voted no. Democracy should not be selectively applied.
Culver City deserves better.
Learn the full story, share it with your neighbors, and make your voice heard this November.