Sixteen is an awkward age. You're too young to do things that the older crowd does, yet too old to do childish things. In the political world at the age of sixteen you're not old enough to vote yet your old enough to have a solid, well-formed opinion. But of how much value is that opinion?
Take, for example, the war in Iraq. A war that was started before George W.'s second term. How old were these young ones when the war began? They can't have been that old. Do they understand the climate the war began in? Possibly. Or possibly they were too busy playing with their Pokemon toys to truly understand. Anything said, no matter how much research was done, could and should be taken with a grain of salt. After all.. these people don't actually have a vote at all.
It has long been questioned whether the voting age should be lowered. It was a push to get the age lowered to 18 and it is a good age. You are finally maturing, becoming an adult. I would hate to see a bunch of young teenagers who can't even vote be given something as powerful as a vote.
So what do you think? Should young kids be listened to? After all, politics isn't much of an area for the young.
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6 comments:
yeah! and while we're at it lets make the voting age 3 because at that point u can walk. and if you can walk to the polls you should be allowed to vote, right?
.....//////SARCASM
I think that 17 is a better age, personally. I think that by the time you finish High School you should have matured enough to vote.
High school kids on the whole have no concept of the real world. At least when you're in college you have some grasp of reality.
However, if the voting age was lowered to 16, then most likely, the 16-17 voter turnout would be low and limited to those teenagers who actually know something. However, it also presents a problem because sometimes they may act as a free second vote for their parents.
It should remain at 18 I think, on the whole.
Nick,
I think that the voting age is perfect where it is currently at because when you're 18, you are going to graduate high school or you have graduated high school. Your awareness of the world is higher than it was when you were, say sixteen.
I agree with Sean on this one. The 16-17 year olds will act as a second vote for their parents or for friends. I simply do not think the majority of teenagers that young can generate their own political ideas. They will go with what their parents want or listen to someone else. The voting age should remain 18.
I actually say abolish the age rule and do a mandatory IQ test to be allowed to register to vote.
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