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Concord, N.H. - Today, New Hampshire Democratic Party Operations Director Ethan Moorhouse testified in support of CACR 5, an amendment that would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the corresponding general election. Calling on his own experiences as a 17-year-old who could not vote in the 2016 Presidential Primary but could vote in the 2016 general election, Moorhouse urged the State Legislature to make New Hampshire the 22nd state in the country to adopt this rule. Read NHDP Operations Director Ethan Moorehouse's submitted testimony in support of CACR 5 below: "Good morning, my name is Ethan Moorhouse, I’m 20 years old, a 13-year resident of Manchester and the Operations Director for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. I’m here before you testifying today because I see the good that this constitutional amendment would do for New Hampshire’s iconic Democratic process. Back in the Summer of 2015 at age 17, I became inspired by Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign for President. As a senior in high school, I started volunteering once or twice a week, which evolved into coming into the office every day, then becoming an intern, and then finally an organizer. I was deeply invested in his campaign, even quitting my job as a pizza delivery driver in order to volunteer more. I hoped that I would be able to vote for Senator Sanders in the General Election, but knew that I would never have the chance to help the Senator get to the general, since I turned 18 in May of 2016, 3 months after the February primary. I was disheartened to know that despite all the hard work I put into a campaign, I wouldn’t be able to participate in the voting process, even though I would’ve been 18 by the General Election in November. I wasn’t alone in this frustration. A large part of the work I did on the campaign was organizing high school students. Quickly, I learned that students questioned why they should get involved in the Democratic process if they weren’t able to voice their opinion, by voting. Every day I would encounter students who refused to learn about the candidates, nevermind volunteer for one because they knew their voices wouldn’t matter. From my own experiences and from those of my peers, I have seen that preventing youth participation hinders the political process; a process that is fundamental to our state. By not allowing people to voice their opinions, we’re telling a new generation of voters every election year that voting is hard, complicated, and maybe not worth the trouble. Instead, we should be encouraging young people to get involved in the Democratic process, no matter what your political beliefs. The best way to do that is to let people’s voices be heard. People that are eligible to vote in general elections should be able to vote in that primary. Currently, 21 states agree with this philosophy, let’s make New Hampshire 22nd. I strongly support the passage of CACR 5 and ask that you do as well."
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