02/13/2026
SB 1574 VOTE:NO
Died In Committee
SB 1574 VOTE:NO
Died In Committee
Status (overview) of bill:https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Measures/Overview/SB1574
Committee assigned to bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Committees/SRULES/Overview
SB 1574 – allows certain persons who are 17 years old on the date of a primary to vote in the primary. Permits a person who will be 17 years of age on the date of a primary election and 18 years of age on the date of the general election to vote at the primary election for candidates of a major political party with which the person is affiliated. Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Secretary of State for the purpose of printing and counting additional ballots.
The primary is where local initiatives and some candidate elections are final. It isn’t just a race for the general election. The same reason 17 year olds can’t vote in the general election is the reason they shouldn’t vote in the primary.
There’s no reason for a change to current law requiring individuals to be 18 to vote, this is the age of adulthood and learning what it means to be fiscally responsible. Even at 18 the brain is not fully developed, but planning for after graduation adds maturity that a 17 year old doesn’t have. That’s why they can’t buy alcohol or be trusted with handguns.
The exceptional few does not give the proof to make this a justified change.
No and no again, our laws on voting need to be left alone. Kids (young adults) on the most part don’t pay attention to politics unless it’s being feed to them by a radical teacher. Let them go out and start supporting themselves to understand what it takes to survive in Oregon with all the taxes we have to pay.