State lawmakers are considering legislation that would permit certain 17-year-old voters to cast ballots. Eleven other states have made the change. Young voters at Central Dauphin East High School near Harrisburg think Pennsylvania should do the same.

The Senior Class attended a voter registration rally Friday afternoon. Students who were still unregistered were encouraged to sign up. Under current state law, voters have to be at least 18-years-old to cast a ballot. That means some of the seniors at the rally cannot vote in the April 22 Pennsylvania Primary. House Bill 520 would change that by allowing a 17-year-old to vote in a primary as long as they turn 18 before the November election.

Central Dauphin East students told abc27 News more of their peers would become involved in the political process. "There's a lot of the students in our very own class of 2008 who are unable to register because they feel it's not important because they haven't turned 18 yet," said rally organizer Ayanna Cash. 17-year-old Laressa Roman agreed, "They believe that since I'm not going to get to vote so why should I care about it. I really think 17-year-olds should really get to vote in the primaries so at least they care more about it."

The bill is still in committee so there is not enough time to make the change before this year's primary. The deadline to register is March 24.

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