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UTEC's Vote 17 and Civics Campaign Updates

Join us by signing the online petitions!

 

Dear Friend,

 

Thank you for your support of our two major campaigns. Here's a quick update on both!

Local Campaign to Lower the Voting Age to 17 in Lowell Municipal Elections
YouTube FOX 25 Vote 17 Hearing 

Teens have worked hard locally and now at the statehouse to advocate for our home-rule petition that Representative Kevin Murphy filed on our behalf, Bill #H01111.

On April 13, 2011 over 75 youth from Lowell, city officials and specialists in the field of youth voting and civic engagement filled a statehouse hearing room to testify to the Joint Committee on Election Laws. The crowd was moved by a spoken word performance by UTEC teen organizers Susan Le and Carline Kirksey as part of their testimony. You can check out Levi Tankersley's speech in the Fox 25 News video clip above. Click to read details about the bill's supporters and the hearing.

Please feel free to call Representative Moran or Senator Finegold's office in support of this bill moving out quickly so that Lowell can be the first in the nation to lower the voting age to 17!

One of the critical motivators for this campaign is our teens' belief that when you are still in school, before going off to college or work (i.e. at the age of 17), we have a unique opportunity to influence the long-term civic habits of young people while they are also learning about the civics process.

Updates:
Vote 17 in Lowell
Civics Campaign
Online Petitions

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Support the Campaigns and UTEC

Statewide Campaign for Civics as a Graduation Requirement
Civic Campaign Rally Poster

 

Given this linkage between the Vote 17 campaign and a civics education, we
our teens have also been working hard on their campaign to get civics back as a high school graduation requirement in Massachusetts through our statewide coalition, Teens Leading The Way. Representing 7 communities throughout our state, these young people are advocating for their Bill #S00183 filed by Senator Harriette Chandler to implement a pilot civics course.

To raise awareness and gain more support at the state-level, Teens Leading The Way is proud to announce that on Tuesday May 31, 2011 from 4-5pm at the Grand Staircase in the Statehouse, they will be holding a rally called Teens Leading The Way For Civics Education!

The rally will be held two weeks before June 14, 2011 when the Joint Committee on Education will have a public hearing on Bill #S00183 at 10am at the statehouse in hearing room A-2. TLTW plans to turn out teens, educators, and professionals from all across the state to both events: the rally and the hearing.  Hope you can join us!

Launching Our Online Petitions! 
Vote 17 Statehouse Stairs 4.13.11 

Since both campaigns are reaching critical moments in their legislative processes, we are now launching online petitions for both the Vote 17 and Civics Campaigns.

Please help support our campaigns further by signing our petitions at www.utec-lowell.org/actnow.

Thank you for your continued support for our local and statewide campaigns!

 

Sincerely,

 

Carline Kirksey

UTEC and TLTW Teen Organizer

 

Gregg Croteau, MSW

Executive Director

978-856-3990

Vote 17 Supporters and Hearing Details

The entire Lowell state delegation testified in favor of the bill: Representatives Kevin Murphy (the bill filer), David Nangle, Tom Golden, and Senator Eileen Donoghue. Lowell High School Headmaster Ed Rozmiarek, Lowell City Councilors Patrick Murphy and Franky Descoteaux, Dr. Peter Levine (Tufts' Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and  Engagement), and Avi Green (MassVote) also testified. Special thanks to Co-Chairs Representative Mike Moran and Senator Barry Finegold for making all of us feel at home in the hearing room. We expect the Joint Committee on Election Laws to soon decide on the bill and we are asking for a quick passage out of committee so that we can begin our local campaign to have this on the November ballot in Lowell. We greatly appreciate all the support the teens have received with this initiative, and we all look forward to your continued support as we move forward! Click here to return to the Vote 17 update.