Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and other groups are suing Ohio’s top elections official, demanding he allow 17-year-olds to vote in the presidential primary.
Seventeen-year-olds can vote in the primaries for US Senate and state legislative races. But Secretary of State Jon Husted says 17-year-olds in Ohio can’t vote for a presidential nominee because voters will actually elect delegates, and only people 18 and over have the power to elect someone.
Husted says this lawsuit comes from a group of people trying to create conflict where none exists.
“They waited until a week before the election to raise this issue and unfortunately it creates a lot of misinformation and also might discourage voters who are misinformed to think that they can’t get out there and vote,” said Husted.
He adds that Democratic and Republican secretaries of state have always followed this law.
