- We're pleased to be joined by Mussab Ali, who is Senior Advisor of an organization called Vote 16 USA.

Mussab, good to see you.

- Steve, thank you for having me.

- You got it.

The website's up.

What is this organization and why is it so important?

- Well, the organization is focused on lowering the voting age to 16 for local elections across the country, I think that young people need to be involved and engaged, and I think 16 is the right age to do it.

- How'd you get into this?

- So I actually first ran for office when I was 19 years old in Jersey City and was lucky enough to be elected in when I was 20 in 2017.

And ever since then, I've really been interested in getting young people more involved in politics.

I went up to law school at Harvard.

When I graduated, I wanted to do some sort of electoral reform work and Vote 16 USA was hiring their first ever director.

So I applied for the role.

I got it, and here we are today.

- Interesting, so a long time ago, at the age of 25, I ran for and was elected to the state legislature.

And part of the reason for that is I grew up in a certain kind of family where political engagement and involvement was the norm.

What's your excuse?

- So I'm actually, I'm actually the opposite, Steve.

My family was not politically involved at all.

And I actually was going into college, very ready to go into medical school.

I had no interest in politics.

This was, I was not one of those kids that was part of the student council or any of those sorts of things.

But you know, it's, it was 2016 I think that really got me engaged, right.

I saw, you know, Trump running for office.

I saw Bernie Sanders running for office, the Clinton election, and it really taught me the importance of politics and the importance of getting involved.

And I said to myself like, you know what, what am I qualified for?

I was 19-year-old at the time, and I figured, why not run for school board?

- So right now we actually did something talking about Newark.

Newark is the law in Newark allows for 16 year olds to vote in school board elections?

- Yeah, that's right.

That was passed this year.

- Not city council?

- Not yet.

No.

- Not state legislature.

- Nope.

- Not mayor.

- Nope.

- Okay so tell us.

16 year olds should be able to, in your view, 16 year olds should be able to vote in which elections and why?

- Well, I think all local elections, because it impacts them the most.

I think the argument for local elections is that 16 year olds like have to deal with the day to day that sort of happens, right?

So when it comes to the schools, when it comes to what's happening within their city, like these are all things that they're very closely impacted by.

And so I think that they should have the right to vote.

Look, they can start working when they're 16.

They can start driving when they're 16.

I don't see why they shouldn't have the right to vote.

- Why do you separate national and national elections from local?

- Look, I think there's a lot of hesitancy when it comes to national elections.

And I think that, you know, in order to do it at the national level, you need to get a constitutional amendment passed.

And I think right now we're at a point in our country where it's really tough to make, sort of make that happen.

So for me, I think the state and local is really the most important part.

And I, again, I think that's what impacts your life more so than even national elections.

- Let me ask you this, it's so interesting on college campuses, in high schools, there are a whole range of protests having to do with the war in Gaza.

We're taping this on July 16th, we hope and pray the war ends and, but we don't know what's gonna happen.

And one of the things that struck me was that a whole range, a high percentage of young people who were asked on college campuses, high school campuses, what exactly are you protesting, and why a high percentage of them appeared not to really understand the particulars of the war in Gaza and what exactly they were looking for.

They would just say ceasefire.

And to me, I will say this and I will not editorialize.

It was striking because there appeared to be a lack of understanding of the complex nuances of the history of the Middle East and where we are now and what needs to be done moving forward.

Question, how informed do you think most 16 year olds are, 17 year olds are on the issues that they appear to have very strong opinions on?

- We'll Steve, I wonder if we can make the same calculation about the average voter, right?

I mean I think when it comes to- - Hundred percent true.

- (Inaudible) I mean, are we taking tests of people who are in their thirties and forties about how much they are paying attention, and to be honest, right, like young people on social media get to see information and get to see stuff firsthand that maybe some people who are in their seventies or eighties are never gonna be able to understand.

- But social media is the primary information source, That doesn't concern you?

- So it does concern me, right?

And I think there's a lot of misinformation that exists.

But the same way that we talk about that misinformation for young people, I mean, look, I have grandmothers and grandfathers who are sharing around some of the stuff on the internet that's just unbelievable, right?

And they believe it as well.

And we don't say we should take away their right to vote.

That they shouldn't have the ability to be part of the decision making process.

I think what's more important is informing the public, making sure people understand misinformation and making sure that they're well informed when they go into the ballot box.

How the heck do we engage younger people when so many people in public life at every level, but particularly state and national level are really old?

- Well, Steve, and I think this is the point of this piece of legislation, right, is allowing young people to vote, to feel like they are part of that process, and especially at the local level, is I think really where we can make that shift happen.

- Where's the legislation right now?

So right now state lawmakers have introduced the bill, the governor's come out in favor of it.

So Senator Mukerji and Senator (Inaudible) have introdiced it in the Senate.

There's a co-sponsor bill in the assembly.

So right now it's moving through committee, and what this bill would do is it would allow every 16-year-old in the entire state of New Jersey to be able to start voting in local elections, and part of the reason I really emphasize the importance of this is when they start voting at 16, they become lifetime voters.

So in Maryland, in 2013 in Tacoma Park, they started this project and they've been tracking these voters, 16 year olds who start voting, they become people who vote when they're 16, when they're 17, when they're 18, when they're 19.

Especially at local elections, which we know are super critical.

- Define local, are you talking about not just school board, but municipal council?

- Exactly.

Municipal council statewide.

They become, they get in the habit of voting, right?

And I think that is such an important thing to inform our young people about.

- Real quick, you said Maryland.

What other states allow 16 year olds to vote in local elections?

- So in Maryland there's a couple of cities, you have a city in Vermont, and then in California you have Berkeley and Oakland, California that also allow 16 year olds to vote.

- But no state, New Jersey would be the first state in the nation to allow 16 year olds to vote in local elections.

Is that fair to say?

Is that accurate?

- Yeah, it would be the first one statewide.

And keep in mind, Steve, this is part of our history.

When the voting age was lowered to 18, that actually was started right here in New Jersey.

- Mussab, you're doing important work and it's a tough fight, and I just have a feeling that for young people like you, we need young people like you, we need folks engaged, and I'm get off my soapbox after this.

If we do not have young people engaged, involved, and committed, we have a series called Democracy in Danger.

Democracy will be in greater danger than ever before if young people are not engaged, involved, and voting, and it'll play out in the legislature, and we'll follow this.

Mussab Ali, senior advisor of Vote 16 USA, cannot thank you enough for your time.

All the best to you and your colleagues.

- Thank you Steve.

Thank you for having me.

- You got it, stay with us, We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by NJM Insurance Group.

The Turrell Fund, a foundation serving children.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

The New Jersey Education Association.

New Jersey Children’s Foundation.

New Brunswick Development Corporation.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

And by PSEG Foundation.

Promotional support provided by Meadowlands Chamber.

And by NJBIZ.

- Are you looking to be a part of a dynamic, forward-thinking business service organization?

At Meadowlands Chamber, every day we connect, collaborate and innovate, helping to drive business and economic growth in the greater Meadowlands and New Jersey.

I invite you to visit our Meadowlands Chamber headquarters, an open office facility with access to resources for our members' businesses and networking needs.

Together, we will build the chamber of the future, and the next generation of leaders.