WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 23, 2018 11
Congresswoman seeks amendment to lower voting age to 16
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
With only a month remaining
until primary elections for a
number of Queens political
districts, one local lawmaker believes
that it’s time to lower the voting age.
Congresswoman Grace Meng
announced on Aug. 15 that she has
introduced a Constitutional amendment
in the House of Representatives
that would lower the voting age in
the United States to 16. It’s designed to
replace the 26th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, ratifi ed in 1971, which
lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
The 26th Amendment came about
from a movement fueled by teenagers
getting draft ed to fi ght in the Vietnam
War and the coinciding student protests
against the war. Meng explained
that, in light of recent events, a similar,
even younger movement is underway.
“I am a fi rm believer that we should
empower our young people and that
includes extending the right to vote
for 16- and 17-year-olds,” Meng said.
“Voting is a serious responsibly. But
I believe that our youth are mature
enough at these ages to responsibly
cast a ballot. Over the past year, we
have seen a huge wave of inspirational
and passionate activism by students
from all across the country. Students
are demanding change on issues such
as gun safety, climate change and
health care. They deserve to have their
voices heard at the ballot box, and to
have a say in the change for which
they’re vigorously advocating. It’s
clear to me that they should be allowed
to vote.”
Meng also noted that cities in 13
states and the District of Columbia
already have the ability to lower the
voting age for local elections through
charter amendments. Some have already
done so, including Takoma Park,
Maryland, the fi rst city in America to
lower the voting age for local elections
to 16. In Hyattsville, Maryland, 16- and
17-year-old voters are hitting the polls
at a rate that is nearly quadruple that
of older citizens.
Around the world, at least 20 countries
allow citizens under the age of
18 to vote. In Scotland, for example,
75 percent of all 16-year-olds voted in
the recent elections, a rate higher than
voters three times their age.
Here in Queens, low voter turnout
has played a major role in a number
of recent local elections. When Assemblyman
Brian Barnwell defeated
then-incumbent Assemblywoman
Margaret Markey, a little more than
2,500 people placed votes. In 2017,
Councilman Robert Holden defeated
then-incumbent Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley when only 22.3 percent
of voters cast a ballot.
Most recently, only 11.6 percent of
registered Democrats voted when Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez upset incumbent
Congressman Joe Crowley in June.
“Sixteen- and 17-year-olds are legally
permitted to work and they pay federal
income tax on their earnings,” Meng
said. “They are legally permitted to
drive motor vehicles, and if they commit
crimes they are tried as adults. I
think it is only fair to allow them the
right to vote as well.”
At least one Republican on the local
level disagrees. Queens County GOP
Chair Joann Ariola told the Ridgewood
Times that 16-year-olds are not yet
equipped with the political know-how
to place an educated vote in an election.
“I would not be in favor of changing
the voting age to 16 because I don’t
believe that at 16, a person’s ideology
is really truly formed politically,” Ariola
said. “I think that it is a good age to
engage people who want to volunteer
and learn about the political process,
and when they become of age to vote
they can make an educated decision
of which party to enroll in and which
candidate to vote for.”
Ariola explained that volunteering
sparked her own interest in politics
at that age, and added that increasing
voter turnout is more about having
new and exciting candidates step up
and run for offi ce.
“A lot of times if people are not excited
they feel it’s not as important to
get out and vote,” Ariola said. “When
you have a governor who believes that
America has ‘never been great’ and
a mayor that believes he can bring
prisons and shelters in wherever he
wants, they just throw their hands up
thinking they can’t make a diff erence.”
Approving Meng’s legislation will
not be an easy task, as constitutional
amendments require passage by twothirds
of the House and Senate, and
ratifi cation by three-fourths of the
nation’s state legislatures. If enacted,
the voting age would be lowered for
federal, state and local elections.
The legislation has been referred
to the House Judiciary Committee to
await further action.
Photo courtesy of Congresswoman Grace
Meng’s offi ce
Congresswoman Grace Meng at an
Appropriations Committee meeting
on March 20, 2018.
Lawmakers oppose loading zones in Forest Hills
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A pair of lawmakers representing
Forest Hills are speaking
out against the Department of
Transportation’s (DOT) plan to add
truck loading zones to the area’s most
popular commercial strip.
In a joint press release on Aug. 21,
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz
and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi
announced their opposition to the
DOT’s eff ort to introduce designated
truck loading zones on Austin Street
as part of a larger plan to reduce
congestion in the area. Among the
proposed changes, numerous 60-foot
loading zones would be added to
provide 36 spaces for trucks for a
30-minute limit.
Koslowitz and Hevesi stand by
their local business owners who say
the loading zones would hurt their
operations, and the Queens Chamber
of Commerce is “unequivocally”
opposed to the loading zones, according
to the press release.
“While I can appreciate DOT’s
concern with traffi c fl ow on Austin
Street, the remedy cannot be at the
expense of our local stores,” Koslowitz
said. “We need only to witness the
turnover in storefronts
on Austin
Street to realize that
even a small dent in
commercial activity
could be fatal to many
businesses.”
According to a
presentation delivered
by the DOT to
Community Board
6 in February, the
agency’s recommendations
came aft er conducting traffi c
studies in the area. The DOT found
that of the 12,760 feet of “parkable”
space amounting to 638 metered
spaces along Austin Street, only 100
feet is dedicated to truck access, or
four spaces.
When the DOT surveyed the general
public and the businesses in the
area, congestion and double parking
emerged as the biggest problems.
The DOT observed that trucks oft en
double park when making deliveries
because the curb is already full, and
truck activity is
higher during the
morning and midday,
according to the
presentation.
They also observed
that many
vehicles are staying
parked on the curb
for longer than the
two-hour limit, and
pedestrians are
crossing the street
wherever they get a chance because
of the long blocks on Austin Street.
As a result of the fi ndings, the
DOT proposed the loading zones
and plans to reduce their availability
throughout the day. From 7 a.m. to 11
a.m., all 36 spaces will be available
to trucks only for 30 minutes. From
11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 24 spaces will be set
aside for trucks, and from 1 to 4 p.m.,
nine spaces will remain designated
for trucks.
The truck spaces will all return
to normal parking outside of those
restricted hours, but Koslowitz and
Hevesi believe that the new signage
will be much too confusing for
drivers and will greatly reduce the
amount of spaces for customers.
“If the businesses that these loading
zones are intended to help are against
them, then what is the point of this
proposal?” Hevesi said. “Unless
the DOT provides some reasonable
explanation, then this remains an
unnecessary solution in search of a
problem. Therefore I stand in opposition
to these loading zones.”
The lawmakers plan to facilitate
the dialogue between the Forest
Hills Chamber of Commerce, local
businesses and the DOT as the agency
considers community feedback
before implementing the changes.
"While I can appreciate
DOT's concern with
traffi c fl ow on Austin
Street, the remedy cannot
be at the expense of
our local stores."
— City Councilwoman
Karen Koslowitz
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