By Cliff White
Staff Writer
Rep. David Farrington wants to get young adults more involved in the political process, and one of the ways he hopes to do so is to show them how it can affect their lives personally.
Farrington (D-Gorham) has sponsored a bill that would allow an otherwise eligible person to pre-register to vote upon reaching 16 years of age. Once pre-registered, he or she would be automatically be registered to vote when they reach 18 years of age or when they reach the voting age qualification for voting in a primary election.
“According to statistics I’ve seen, young voters have election participation rates almost as good as any other age group, but they are under-represented in terms of initial registration – I see that as our big challenge,” Farrington said.
Farrington, who teaches history and government at Yarmouth High School, said he was inspired by his students as well as those who sit on the Legislative Youth Advisory Council, with whom he worked to craft the legislation. The council, founded in 2002, is made up of three legislators and 18 youth members and advises the Legislature on policy matters, budget expenditures, and legislation related to youth. They have the authority to submit bills, conduct public hearings and report annually on their activities.
“This bill was instigated by some of the youth members on the council, and I was pretty easily convinced it was a good idea,” Farrington said. “My role as a legislator on the council is to provide the youth’s perspective to Augusta, and by introducing this legislation, I am fulfilling that obligation.”
The bill would require that pre-registration forms be publicly available at the offices of the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles and be provided to all municipal registrars.
“The moment of getting a driver’s license or permit is such an important time in a young man or woman’s life, and I think an opportune time to introduce them to the idea that they will soon be able to vote,” Farrington said. “At a time when they are taking on the adult responsibility of being entrusted with their own life and the lives of others on the road, we want to introduce to them another aspect of adult life – the responsibility of voting.”
Ben Goodman, 18, is a student at Kennebunk High School and has been a member of the youth advisory council since August 2006. He was one of the 17 out of 18 young members of the council that voted in favor of putting forward the legislation. The one vote against introducing the bill came from a friend, Goodman said, who thought the bill didn’t go far enough.
“Especially around election years, there’s so much interest in people my age to be a part of the process,” Goodman said. “Our hope is that if they chose to pre-register, more young people will take an even greater interest in the process, start listening actively to the issue, and gain a greater realization that what goes on in Washington or Augusta really does affect them more than they believe.”
Goodman said he was excited with his council’s role in the crafting and introduction of the bill.
“It’s exactly what the council was set up to do,” Goodman said. “Simply put, the people under the age of 18 have no one of their demographic representing them in the political process. The council gives voice to those who aren’t properly heard, and the example of the council’s ability to be that voice is one a lot of other states are starting to follow.”
 Maine was the first state to create a legislative youth advisory council, and three other states have created them – Washington, New Mexico and New Hampshire. Goodman said he has been advising the states of Maryland and Minnesota in setting up their own youth advisory councils.
“Maine has really set the example, and a lot of states are really starting to follow it,” Goodman said.
Both Goodman and Farrington said they thought the bill would have little trouble passing.
Rep. Gary Knight of Livermore Falls, who last year introduced a bill that would have disallowed out-of-state students living in college dormitories from voting in Maine – a bill that aroused resistance from some student organizations and ultimately did not pass – said he would support the bill.
“I think measures that help young people get involved in politics are good,” Knight said. “The reason I introduced my bill was because I didn’t think kids from out of state should be deciding local issues.”
Knight, a Republican, said he had no problem voting for the bill, even if statistics show that younger voters tend have more liberal political views than the general populace.
“It is a truism that young people tend to vote that way, but that shouldn’t be a factor in the way people vote on this issue,” Knight said. “I think it’s healthy to get young people involved in the process, even if it is to the detriment of votes to my own party. Hopefully, they will begin to get a better understanding of the problems through their own involvement in the process, and form their own conclusions and solutions as to how those problems are best addressed.”
The bill will now be put in front of the Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee for public hearing and discussion. No time has yet been set for the hearing, but Farrington said if it passed through the committee, it would be heard on the floor of the Legislature some time later this year.