Student Helps Lower Voting Age in Brookline
On Thursday, November 21, C. Bizup ’23 spoke before the Brookline Town Meeting to advocate for the passage of a warrant article to lower the voting age in municipal elections to 16. Thanks to the lobbying efforts of people like Bizup, the article passed 142 in favor, 71 opposed, and six abstaining.
Bizup’s interest in public speaking began when she was in Middle School at Newton Country Day. “In Ms. Horwitz's 6th grade English class, we did a speech unit,” Bizup explained. “I wrote a speech about body shaming and eating disorders which started to drive my political and social activism. I found the process exhilarating, and I am extremely pleased that I could come back to it years later.
“I am a girl scout and as a Cadette (at the time), I was able to participate in and earn a silver award. Ms. Horwitz and I started working on my silver award project last year, which was trying to give teenagers a voice with a column in the Brookline Tab. I had been talking with League of Women Voters president Betsy De Witt regarding my frustration about teenagers not being taken seriously due to the inability to vote. The editor of the Brookline Tab asked me to write an opinion article about lowering the voting age. I then asked History teacher Dr. Baines, who is a part of our Town Meeting, for advice. She said I could also write a letter about the topic for her to share with the other members and that I could speak at Town Meeting. I got in touch with the town moderator, who agreed to put me on the speaker list.”
Ahead of delivering her speech, Bizup’s editorial ran in the Brookline Tab, and under the advice of Dr. Baines, she wrote a letter to all 240 members of Town Meeting.
In her editorial Bizup wrote, “According to the warrant article before the town, only 16% of residents on average have voted in town elections since 2010. For Brookline to be a true participatory democracy, more voters actually need to participate. I surveyed 51 Brookline residents under the age of 18, and 76.47% said they would vote if they could. This would increase turnout dramatically, especially if Brookline High School can arrange for students to vote during the school day. By lowering its voting age, Brookline could be a trailblazer, encouraging other towns through its example to make this change as well...Teenagers are prepared to make a real difference by bringing additional diversity into our politics, which will benefit us all.”
In preparation for Town Meeting, Bizup worked with many teachers at NCDS on different aspects of her speech.
“I am so thankful for the support that many teachers offered to me,” Bizup said. “Dr. Baines constantly updated me on information she was getting from Town Meeting. She informed me about what to expect at the meeting and how to go about the process, including lobbying in the hallway before the meeting with a poster and handouts. Both Dr. Baines and Ms. Horwitz practiced with me extensively. Ms. DeDeo helped with edits, and Ms. Foley had 8th graders take surveys. On the night of the meeting, Dr. Baines, Ms. Foley, and Ms. Berardi came to watch me in person, and Ms. Horowitz watched on TV!”
“Bizup did an amazing job and I am so very proud of her,” said Dr. Baines. “Her speech had a well-crafted argument and her delivery was the definition of courage and confidence. Before the meeting I did not think this warrant article would pass. I truly believe that she helped to change minds during Town Meeting. This is a perfect example of Goal III - a social awareness that impels to action - and fits in with our year-long celebration of the legacy of the 19th amendment.”
Bizup’s interest in public speaking began when she was in Middle School at Newton Country Day. “In Ms. Horwitz's 6th grade English class, we did a speech unit,” Bizup explained. “I wrote a speech about body shaming and eating disorders which started to drive my political and social activism. I found the process exhilarating, and I am extremely pleased that I could come back to it years later.
“I am a girl scout and as a Cadette (at the time), I was able to participate in and earn a silver award. Ms. Horwitz and I started working on my silver award project last year, which was trying to give teenagers a voice with a column in the Brookline Tab. I had been talking with League of Women Voters president Betsy De Witt regarding my frustration about teenagers not being taken seriously due to the inability to vote. The editor of the Brookline Tab asked me to write an opinion article about lowering the voting age. I then asked History teacher Dr. Baines, who is a part of our Town Meeting, for advice. She said I could also write a letter about the topic for her to share with the other members and that I could speak at Town Meeting. I got in touch with the town moderator, who agreed to put me on the speaker list.”
Ahead of delivering her speech, Bizup’s editorial ran in the Brookline Tab, and under the advice of Dr. Baines, she wrote a letter to all 240 members of Town Meeting.
In her editorial Bizup wrote, “According to the warrant article before the town, only 16% of residents on average have voted in town elections since 2010. For Brookline to be a true participatory democracy, more voters actually need to participate. I surveyed 51 Brookline residents under the age of 18, and 76.47% said they would vote if they could. This would increase turnout dramatically, especially if Brookline High School can arrange for students to vote during the school day. By lowering its voting age, Brookline could be a trailblazer, encouraging other towns through its example to make this change as well...Teenagers are prepared to make a real difference by bringing additional diversity into our politics, which will benefit us all.”
In preparation for Town Meeting, Bizup worked with many teachers at NCDS on different aspects of her speech.
“I am so thankful for the support that many teachers offered to me,” Bizup said. “Dr. Baines constantly updated me on information she was getting from Town Meeting. She informed me about what to expect at the meeting and how to go about the process, including lobbying in the hallway before the meeting with a poster and handouts. Both Dr. Baines and Ms. Horwitz practiced with me extensively. Ms. DeDeo helped with edits, and Ms. Foley had 8th graders take surveys. On the night of the meeting, Dr. Baines, Ms. Foley, and Ms. Berardi came to watch me in person, and Ms. Horowitz watched on TV!”
“Bizup did an amazing job and I am so very proud of her,” said Dr. Baines. “Her speech had a well-crafted argument and her delivery was the definition of courage and confidence. Before the meeting I did not think this warrant article would pass. I truly believe that she helped to change minds during Town Meeting. This is a perfect example of Goal III - a social awareness that impels to action - and fits in with our year-long celebration of the legacy of the 19th amendment.”