Voting in primaries at 17 years old

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In several states, 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the time of the next general election are permitted to vote in that year's primaries and caucuses. Since primary and caucus processes are often determined by the parties themselves, there are some states in which a 17-year-old may vote, even if there is no state law explicitly permitting it.[1][2][3]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of February 9, 2021, in 17 states, 17-year-olds turning 18 by the time of the general election were permitted to vote in that year's congressional primaries.
  • In 19 states, 17-year-olds could vote in the presidential primaries and/or caucuses of both major parties. In an additional four states, 17-year-olds could participate only in Democratic presidential primaries and/or caucuses.

    • Usage

    Congressional primaries

    The map below shows which states allowed 17-year-olds to vote in congressional primaries, as of February 9, 2021. These states are displayed in red. The table below the map provides further details, including links to relevant state laws.

    17-year-old voting by state, congressional primaries
    State Statute
    Connecticut Section 9-12
    Delaware Section 1701
    Illinois Section 3-6
    Indiana Section 3-7-13-1
    Kentucky Section 116.025
    Maine Section 111.2
    Maryland Section 3-102
    Mississippi Section 23-15-11
    Nebraska Section 32-110
    New Mexico New Mexico Statutes Section 1-4-2
    North Carolina Section 163-59
    Ohio Section 3503.07
    South Carolina Section 7-5-150
    Utah 20A-2-101
    Vermont Section 2121
    Virginia Section 24.2-403
    West Virginia Section 3-2-2

    Presidential primaries and caucuses

    The map below shows which states allow certain 17-year-olds to vote in presidential primaries and caucuses, as of February 9, 2021. These states are displayed in red. In some states, only members of a certain party were permitted to vote at 17 in presidential primaries and caucuses. These states are displayed in pink.

    17 -year-old voting by state, presidential primaries and caucuses
    State 17-year-old voting
    Connecticut Yes
    Delaware Yes
    District of Columbia Yes
    Illinois Yes
    Indiana Yes
    Iowa Yes
    Kentucky Yes
    Maine Yes
    Maryland Yes
    Mississippi Yes
    Nebraska Yes
    Nevada Yes
    New Mexico Yes
    North Carolina Yes
    Ohio Yes
    South Carolina Yes
    Utah Yes
    Vermont Yes
    Virginia Yes
    West Virginia Yes
    Alaska Yes (Dem. only)
    Hawaii Yes (Dem. only)
    North Dakota Yes (Dem. only)
    Wyoming Yes (Dem. only)
    Source: FairVote, "Voting at 17," accessed June 30, 2020

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    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ FairVote, "Voting at 17," accessed February 2, 2016
    2. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Preregistration for young voters," accessed February 3, 2016
    3. ↑ USA.gov, "Voting and Registering to Vote," accessed February 3, 2016
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