State Senator Ed Gomes
May 1, 2008
Gomes Supports Voting Rights For 17-year-olds
Vote comes after Bridgeport senator blasts Republicans for their proposal to require photo I.D.'s in order to vote
State Sen. Edwin A. Gomes (D-Bridgeport) today voted for a resolution that will allow thousands of 17 year-olds across the state to vote in a primary election, so long as they turn 18 before the general election.
The resolution received the approval this afternoon of three-quarters of the Connecticut Senate and will be on the ballot before the state's voters in November. The Senate passed the measure-House Joint Resolution 21-in a unanimous vote. The House of Representatives approved the measure in a 135-to-12 vote last week.
"We need to get more young people--especially young people of color and those living in our large cities--involved in the political process," Sen. Gomes said. "It's in their own best interest to learn about the public policies and the public personalities who shape their lives in a very meaningful way."
Nine other states-Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia-currently allow 17 year-olds to vote in primaries as long as they turn 18 before the general election. Several other states are considering proposals to allow 17 year-olds to vote in primaries as well.
The resolution allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primaries came several hours after Sen. Gomes took part in a press conference that criticized Senate Republicans for proposing an amendment to the resolution--which was ultimately not called--which would have required all Connecticut residents to present a photographic identification--and only a photo ID--in order to vote.
Currently, a Connecticut voter only need to show "identification" in order to vote, such as a Social Security card or some other preprinted form of identification which shows the elector's name and either their address, signature or photograph.
"This Republican proposal to require a photo ID was shades of Jim Crow revisiting Connecticut," Sen. Gomes said, referring to the racist and restrictive social and voting laws that some states used to impose on Blacks. "The cost of a picture ID in Connecticut is about $20, and you've got to travel to get one. How's a poor kid from Bridgeport or some elderly resident supposed to come up with $20 and the time and transportation to get a photo ID just so they can vote? We don't have problems with voter fraud in Connecticut. The whole impact of that amendment would have been to suppress the poor and urban vote at a time when it's more important than ever for their voices to be heard."
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