The Town Election Review Committee will discuss, and possibly take action on, lowering the age to vote in local elections during its Wednesday meeting.

The proposal stems from an initiative by former Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald, who formed the committee as an effort to “not just get young kids to vote but to increase voter turnout because that’s going down,” according to Assistant Town Clerk Michael Brison. Just over 16% of registered voters in Swampscott cast ballots in the April town election. Precinct 3 saw the highest turnout with 22.4%, while Precinct 2 saw the least at 9.24%, according to town data.

Brison noted that while 16- and 17-year-olds would not be able to vote in state or federal elections, with a consensus and state approval they could participate in local ones. 

“Four or five other towns in Massachusetts have passed something similar,” Brison said. “None of them have been approved by the state legislature.” 

Massachusetts’ current law allows 18-year-olds to vote. Those who are 16 or 17 years old can pre-register to vote, meaning they are eligible to actually place their ballot as soon as they turn 18.

In 2019, the Brookline Town Meeting voted in favor of lowering the voting age to 16 for municipal elections. The state legislature has not approved the home rule petition yet. 

Cities like Cambridge and Somerville also submitted home rule petitions in the last six years, but the state approval is still required. 

In Deerfield, residents rejected the proposal to lower the voting age to 16 in a close 107-194 vote. 

For Swampscott, as part of the Town Election Review Committee’s founding, Fitzgerald ensured that a 16- and 17-year-old, Co-chairs Marta Sirota and Anna Metaxxatos, were a part of the group when it launched a year ago. 

“They are getting some really good experience and coming up with ideas that are not just adding 16- and 17-year-olds but to also get others to vote,” Brison said. “They’re coming up with a number of different ideas.”

Wednesday night’s agenda also includes a discussion on expanding voting locations. The idea would be to “get it back to how it was before Covid,” according to Brison. Previous voting locations included First Church and Congregation Shirat Hayam, he said.

But there seems to be a snag in the plans.

“None of them want us back,” Brison said. “I’m not pouring cold water on the committee, but none of them want us back.”

Other discussion topics include promoting robo-call sign ups, increasing social media outreach, boosting absentee ballot awareness and sharing information via StudentSquare and ParentSquare.