Seventeen-year-olds will not be able to vote on NC marriage amendment

Although some 17-year-olds will be able to vote in the state’s May primary election, they will not be able to vote on the Defense of Marriage Amendment referendum — and state lawmakers say this is unlikely to change.

Legislators approved the amendment, which defines marriage between a man and a woman, last month, and it will be on the primary ballot as a referendum. If a majority of voters approve the amendment, it will be written into the state’s constitution.

State residents who will be 18 years old by the general election can vote in primaries but not on items that won’t appear on the general election ballot, including the amendment.

North Carolina’s voting laws would have to change in order for 17-year-olds to be able to vote on the amendment.

Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, said the political will to alter state voting laws is absent in Raleigh.

“In this political climate, it won’t happen for many years,” she said.

Kinnaird said she’s unsure why her fellow lawmakers would not back legislation to expand voter participation.

“What we want to always encourage is participation,” she said. “So any time we can encourage them to vote, we should do that.”

But Sen. Neal Hunt, R-Wake, said 17-year-olds do not have the maturity to weigh in on decisions as significant as constitutional amendments.

“I’m not sure 17-year-olds in general have the life experiences to be able to make informed decisions on political issues,” he said.

After the 26th amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowered the minimum legal voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971, several states, including North Carolina and Virginia, enacted additional laws about voter eligibility in primaries.

Matt Abell, assistant manager of election services at the Virginia State Board of Elections, said Virginia permits 17-year-olds who will be 18 by election day to vote in special elections and on constitutional amendments.

“They’re given the permission to vote,” he said. “There’s no linkage to what type of election it is.”

In North Carolina, some groups have scrutinized the cost of prohibiting 17-year-olds from voting on the referendum.

Local elections boards will have to produce two ballots in the upcoming state primaries — one including the amendment and one without to accommodate 17-year-olds.

Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the N.C. Values Coalition, which supports the marriage amendment, said the cost of the ballots is a minor concern.

“The cost is minimal compared to the benefit derived from protecting marriage and promoting the family in the state.”

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