After receiving a green light from the Secretary of State, a group of teenagers rallied at the State House on Thursday in support of legislation that would allow 17-year-olds in Lowell to vote in municipal elections.

About 100 Lowell teens and other community members, including lawmakers and city councilors, attended the rally, organized by the Lowell United Teen Equality Center. The voting initiative passed constitutional muster with the Secretary of State’s office last week, removing a key roadblock to passage. The initiative must be approved by the House and Senate and then signed by the governor before being approved by voters in a citywide referendum in 2013.

“The fact that you’re here begging for the right to vote is impressive,” said Senator Eileen Donoghue, a Democrat from Lowell. She said the group deserves credit for having “moved mountains” in patiently pushing the legislation this far over the last three years.

Lowell City Councilor Rita Mercier praised the group for pushing for change. “They’re not asking for a handout, they’re not asking for money, they’re asking for the right to take part in the democratic process,” she said.

Last week, the Secretary of State’s office said its concerns about the constitutionality of the legislation were eliminated when the group agreed to change the bill so that voters under 17 would receive special ballots, which would segregate them on voting rolls so they wouldn’t be mistakenly allowed to vote in federal and statewide races. The minimum age to run for political office in Lowell was also kept at age 18.

Teen organizer Daniel Kern said the goal of the measure is to increase voter turnout, give teens a greater say in civic affairs, and instill in them lifelong civic engagement.  “Voting is habitual,” Kern said.

Kerns said the measure is “completely constitutional” and has even earned the support of Harvard Constitutional Law professor Laurence Tribe. “It’s just expanding democracy,” Kern said, adding that the teen group has knocked on about 3,000 doors in Lowell to build support for the measure.

Organizer Rachel Field said the group doesn’t anticipate any significant hurdles, now that the last major problem – the question of the bill’s constitutionality – had been cleared up. “I think our biggest opposition is just time,” she said, noting the Legislature has until the end of the session on July 31 to take up the bill.

The legislation has the support of the Lowell City Council, the mayor, other community leaders, and the Lowell Sun.

Geoff Foster, political action coordinator for the teen group, said the door-to-door efforts have been very successful. Based on discussions with residents, people seem to be in favor, he said. “General feedback was about 70 percent positive,” he said.