The Influence Of The Voting Age On Young Teens

In the article “Takoma Park 16-year-old Savors his History-Making Moment at the Polls,” written by Annys Shin, the author focuses on whether or not lowering the voting age from 18 is a good idea towards politics, by looking at the benefits and the disadvantages of both sides. In 2013, the city of Takoma Park was the first to lower the voting age to 16 and change the 26th Amendment in their municipal. Ben Miller and other 16- and 17-year-olds were capable of stepping into a booth and casting their vote at the Takoma Park Community Center. Allowing this age group to cast a vote will lead more teenagers to vote than their older peers, it will get them into the habit of voting for the rest of their lives, and it will also increase their personal

For most teenagers turning 16 means an opportunity to drive without supervision and starting college. A new campaign is hoping to give these teenagers the ability to vote in local elections. The Vote16USA aims to reduce the age of voting from the current age of 18 to 16. The objective of this campaign is to promote the participation of youth in politics. The campaign has ignited debate over issues such as the competency of their decision making and whether allowing people as young as 16 is the best way to engage the youth.

If the government allowed sixteen-year-olds to vote, they would build in them the habit of going out in elections at a young age. Eventually, that will result in increasing the overall voter turnout as the population ages. Middle adolescents would go out and practise their right out of habit. Consequently, the country will be more democratic. Moreover, politicians will care more about middle adolescents knowing that their voices count. Therefore, better services and advanced programs as well as critical wise decisions will take place creating a better environment for them. Overall, getting sixteen-year-olds into the habit of voting will definitely turn the table.

America has been built on the idea that as citizens, we have the choice to decide what is the best for our country. Millions of Americans cast their vote every election day to make sure their voices are heard on who is going to run their country and what new policies they will bring with them. As stated in Anny Shin’s article, “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history-making moment at the polls,” voting is a, “valuable privilege,” in which many don’t realize. In the United States, not every is allowed to vote, only 18-year old citizens are allowed to vote. However the number of 18-year olds voting is very low and this has been an issue in the political for quite a while. The concerns and desires of most millennials are not being expressed as many are not voting. Many, like the city of Takoma have proposed to allow 16 and 17-year olds to vote as they believe that voting among millennials will increase.

In the article, “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history-making moment at the polls,” by Annys Shin, many teens who are 16-17 years old can now vote during the election. The decision was made by the Takoma City Council that in Montgomery County Community, they are the first ones in the nation to lower their voting age from 18-16 years old. A group of 350 students from Montgomery Blair High School were granted the right to vote in elections and one of the student who got the right to vote, Ben Miller had said, “ It’s a valuable Privilege,” and he means that it is a great advantage that many 16-17 years old can now vote. Many young adults who are the age of 18 are most likely not a good age to vote because many of them are planning to leave their childhood homes. And they can lack of discipline and causes them not to vote.

There are three possible solutions to the lack of active participation in politics and elections in youth, ages 18 to 25. The first solution is to pass House Bill 16-148 in Colorado which will require high school students to pass the civics portion of the federal citizenship test to graduate high school. The second solution is to lower the voting age to 16 years old. The third solution is to create a youth congress that deals with social issues that relate to the youth. The policy that our group decided would best increase participation in politics and elections in people ages 18 to 25 would be to lower the voting age to 16, because it develops the habit of voting at a younger age, it encourages schools and parents to provide the youth with a better understanding of the government and politics, it allows youth to have a voice in issues that involve them as well as encourage politicians to support policies that help the youth, and it has been proven to fix the issue of voter participation.

In the Persuasive argument, “16:The Right Voting Age”, the National Youth Rights Association they claim that 16 years old can vote. The National Youth Rights Association states “Teens are already treated like adults for example, 16-year-old can drive legally in many states.Also, young people can be tried for serious crimes as adults”(451). The National Youth Rights Association are insisting that teenagers can drive car and if did something wrong they will get a punishment. My claim is similar to The National Youth Rights Association; however, it differs in that teens are treated like adults, adolescents do not have the same responsibility that adults have. In addition, According to The National Youth Rights Association,

People at 16 have difficulty with understanding complex long-term consequences over short term and so they should not be allowed to vote. 16-year old are too immature to think about the consequences of their votes. They might be allowed to work, drive and make decisions about their future like if they want to go to university, but they are prone to undue influence from their parents, teachers and friends. People at 16 have not fully formed their ideas about their political ideology. Letting 16-year-olds vote would make them susceptible to pressure from their parents to vote a certain way and this would give extra votes to people jeopardizing the country’s democracy. People at 16 are thirsting for confirmation and they like to get rewarded for the accomplishments; parents would be inclined to buy gifts for their children if they vote a certain way and politics would become an even dirtier game. Not only are 16-year olds not mature and informed enough to vote, they also have

“On the one hand, turnout among 16- and 17-year-olds was about 10 percentage points below overall turnout. On the other hand, 16- and 17-year-olds were more likely to vote than those aged 18 to 34. The same trend is evident elsewhere too. In Austria – the only European state with votes at 16 for national elections – this age bracket votes less than the entire population but more than the subsequent bracket.” (Alan Renwick and Barney McCay 2015). Politics as a standalone subject would encourage more participation as the combination of lessons about policy, media and up-to-date current affairs would personally relate to the individuals such as parents being fined for truancy, free school meals etc.

People might suggest that let sixteen and seventeen years olds citizens should vote just so that the teens can go in the habit of voting at an early age and of to show them how the voting system actually works. Teenagers don’t even have the responsibility to clean up for themselves and are being peer pressured by their so called friends to do something dangerous. That doesn’t sound like people that can handle the idea of being able to change the world for the best or the worst with their vote. If even the eighteens years olds that are legal to vote don’t even vote so,what makes you think that by lowering the voting age is going to make such a big impacted on whatever is that they are voting on. So I believe that sixteen and seventeen year olds shouldn’t be allowed to vote for anything.

British dramatist Shakespeare once said that there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. Through the ages, controversies about voting age have not quieted down, and there are more and more different opinions about voting age like it should increase to 21, or it should decrease to 17 or 16, even 13. Like a coin has two sides, each opinion has both advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, I prefer the voting age to be 18 in the United States. Teenagers who are 18 years old are independent enough to make their own decisions, and they should have the vote right as other adults do.

The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1969 during the Vietnam war, because it was only fair to those aged 18 - 20 dying for their country have a say in how the country is run. Therefore if 16 year olds are now capable of

The idea that 16 year-olds should vote has been discussed and freshly taken back into consideration. It is not the initial time it has been recommended the United States should modify its guidelines concerning the age one can vote, drink alcohol or join the military. Until 1920, only white men were given the right to vote. There were decades of fighting for the right to vote to be given to African Americans and women. So clearly, the right to vote for all hasn’t always been an established human right in America. Teen drivers have historically been the most reckless drivers. If we can’t confidently trust a 16 year old to drive a vehicle, how is it a good idea to give them the right to vote on the highest political positions in the country? It

The main argument people have against lowering the voting age is that people under the age of eighteen "show a lack of civil responsibility"(passage 1 paragraph 4) and that young people "show disinterest in the political process by not voting" (passage 1 p.4). However, this just simply isn't the case if it ever even was. Now more than ever through this chaotic political climate, young people are more invested than ever because we are all directly affected

Teens are more smarter than what they get credit for. 16-year olds can register in the military which comes with the idea of young people and their vulnerability to die while out in combat. “Aged 16, a teenager can get married or enter a civil partnership and consent to a sexual relationships, pay income tax and national insurance, become a company director, join the army or a trade union and give their full consent to life or death medical procedures.” (The Guardian View on Lowering the Voting Age to 16). Teenagers are able to take many responsibilities, voting should be one of