Giving Compass' Take:

• Pacific Standard reports that legislators in Oregon and California have introduced bills this month to lower the voting age to 16. 

• Many young people today seem politically engaged, how will lowered voting age impact youth activism? 

• Here's why when 16-year-olds vote, we all benefit. 

Democratic lawmakers in Oregon proposed a bill this week to lower the statewide voting age to 16 to address the concerns of teenagers who are "begging us to take action to protect their future," state Senator Shemia Fagan told the Oregonian.

Two bills have been introduced in California: one that would allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the next general election to vote in primaries, and another that would allow all people 17 or older to vote in any election. Assemblyman Evan Low, who introduced the latter bill, argues that lowering the voting age would teach teenagers about the political process and give them a better chance to have their voices heard.

In 2018, lawmakers introduced bills in Virginia, Minnesota, New York, and Washington, D.C., to lower the voting age to 16. None of these bills made it out of committee. A total of 14 states have introduced such bills since 2003, though none of them have become law, the Associated Press reports.

Read the full article on lowering the voting age by Kelley Czajka at Pacific Standard