A pair of Democratic legislators in the Minnesota House of Representatives are proposing a constitutional amendment that would give cities, counties, school districts, and towns the authority to allow 16-year-olds to vote in their elections.
Authored by Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura, DFL-Minneapolis, HF 2003 was introduced late last week and referred to the Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee. The bill has just one co-author, Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis.
If passed into law, a ballot question would be put before the voters at the 2026 general election which states the following:
“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to allow political subdivisions to lower the voting age to 16 years of age for local elections?”
Should more than 50% of voters approve of the question, then the Minnesota Constitution would be amended to give counties, municipalities, and school districts the authority to decrease the voting age to 16 for only local elections.
At present, the Minnesota Constitution allows every citizen 18 years of age or older to vote in state and local elections. The same age requirement exists in the U.S. Constitution and applies to federal elections.
Alpha News reached out to Sencer-Mura and Greenman with several questions about their bill. However, neither legislator immediately responded to Alpha News’ inquiry.
In order for the ballot question to be placed before voters at the 2026 general election, HF 2003 would need to be passed by both the House and Minnesota Senate; the governor’s signature is not required because the bill is a proposed constitutional amendment.
However, the bill does not appear to be a priority, or have the support of legislators, given its lack of multiple co-authors. As such, HF 2003 is unlikely to advance in the closely divided state legislature.
When Democrats controlled state government in 2023 they made sweeping changes to Minnesota election law. Among them, Minnesota now allows automatic voter registration, criminalizes knowingly spreading false information about elections, and is a part of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC).
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
