The College Park City Council voted Tuesday to lower the voting age to 16 for city elections.

The change, which passed 5-3, will take effect about 50 days after its authorization and will be implemented in the city’s November election, city clerk Yvette Allen said at a February council meeting. The council first discussed lowering the voting age from 18 in a July meeting.

Less than 10 percent of registered voters in College Park participate in local elections, according to city documents from September.

Cities are permitted to lower the voting age for local elections under Maryland law, according to Tuesday’s agenda. Some cities in Prince George’s County, such as Hyattsville, Greenbelt and Riverdale Park, have already adopted a lower voting age. The council previously voted 5-3 in favor of the change and agreed to revisit the proposal at a future meeting, the documents read.

The council’s latest discussion about this change was at a public hearing during a Feb. 4 council meeting.

[College Park City Council discusses solutions to residential over-occupancy]

The city’s Board of Election Supervisors met with the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement to discuss the new voting age, according to city documents. The documents also state that with proper outreach, budgetary planning and education, the policy could create a more inclusive voting environment and increase civic engagement with younger residents.

District 3 council member John Rigg said he initially brought up this change around last fall after he felt it was necessary for the council to reconsider ways of engaging residents in city politics. Rigg said on Tuesday that he has no doubt in a 16 year old’s intellectual ability to make an educated decision.

The council’s decision to approve this change, he added, shows their support of civic democracy.

“It sends an important message that we care a lot about voting,” Rigg said. “We care about the thoughts of rising leaders in the city.”

District 2 council member Susan Whitney also supported the amendment and provided her 18-year-old daughter’s perspective as her reason.

[UMD chaplain Ray Ranker wins College Park City Council District 3 special election]

“The young people who do choose to vote are going to be the ones who really are engaged with the process,” Whitney said. “Those who don’t choose to vote, I mean, there won’t be an impact.”

District 1 council member Alan Hew, Mayor Pro Tem and District 4 council member Denise Mitchell and fellow District 4 council member Maria Mackie voted against lowering the voting age.

Hew suggested directly asking the residents to decide on this change with a non-binding referendum on the next election ballot.

“This is a privilege that a community should be bestowing on their minors,” Hew said.

Mitchell voted against it not because of her personal stance, but because of the opinions of residents in her district. But she said she strongly supports increased civic engagement efforts for teenagers.

Mackie said the voting age shouldn’t be lowered if the age of legal adulthood is set at 18, but believes it’s necessary to create a youth advisory council to foster civic learning.

University of Maryland student Michael Lynch was able to vote when he was 16 in neighboring Riverdale Park. The junior philosophy, politics and economics major told The Diamondback he was excited to hear that the council considered lowering the voting age and was confident they would vote in favor of doing so.

“I found the comment that voting for 16 and 17 year olds was a privilege … really out of place,” Lynch said. “Voting is not a privilege, it’s a right.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misquoted John Rigg. This story has been updated.