Mount Rainier is the latest city on the Route 1 corridor to lower its voting age.

At a meeting last week, the Mount Rainier City Council voted unanimously to lower the age to vote in local elections to 16. Residents would still be required to be 18 to vote for state and federal offices.

The city joins Hyattsville, Riverdale Park and Greenbelt as well as nearby Takoma Park in making the change, which has been spurred in recent years by climate change activism among teens.

Studies show very high turnout rates among 16-year-olds, while casting a ballot at a younger age has been shown to help young people develop the habit of voting.

One reason the Route 1 corridor has been ahead of other municipalities is that Maryland gives an unusually high degree of authority over elections to city governments.