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There has been much debate around whether the voting age should be increased to 21, decreased to 16, or stay the same. However, I believe the voting age should be kept at 18.
Firstly, 18, technically speaking, is the legal age of an adult. This is the age in which an individual is legally independent rather than being a dependent on their parents or guardians and resulting from this is the age of acceptance of responsibility for your actions in society. Therefore at the age of 18, many individuals are beginning to decide on their futures, getting permanent jobs or going to university. Furthering this, due to this new found independence, 18 is the age in which some people begin to move out of the family home. Therefore any decisions made regarding the leadership of the country affect 18 year olds more than that of a 16 year old. Whether it be university fees, rent prices, interest, income tax, at this age the impact of these decisions have more of a notable difference on the majority of 18 year olds than 16 year old dependents who continue to reside in the home of their guardian. According to The Student Room 79% of university students who took part in their poll wanted the voting age to remain.
Additionally, at the age of 16, individuals are still going through puberty and finding out who they are. The added responsibility of having to vote for the next leader of the country may be too much for all 16 year olds to fully comprehend. Undoubtedly there will be 16 year olds that exist who may be able to make a more informed choice. However, the majority will not and would tend to vote dependent on how their parents or friends are voting rather than fully understanding the procedures, policies and proposed measures that are part of an election.
Would love to hear opinions on this really interesting debate!
Resources:
Young, D. (2020). 'Why the Voting Age Should Stay Put', The Advocate. Retrieved from: https://www.advocate-online.net/voting-age-restrictions/
The Student Room. 'The Voting Age Should Stay at 18'. Retrieved from: https://tsrmatters.com/blog/the-voting-age-should-stay-at-18-says-students/
I think there's zero argument for increasing the voting age to 21. If you can pay taxes and go to jail, you should be able to vote.
I think there might be an argument for dropping the voting age to 16 if only to redress the demographic voting imbalance. Old people vote more. And in many western democracies there are more of them. So we end up with a voting demographic that skews older. In relation to long-term systemic challenges like Climate Change, there is clearly a difference in interest.
A healthy democracy should give voting rights to as many people as possible. However, currently, 75 million U.S. citizens cannot make their voices heard. They cannot do so because of the arbitrary voting age of 18. It is time that the U.S. government lowers that bar to 16. It should do so because 16-year-olds are not more likely to make irresponsible decisions than other age groups. It should do so because they represent a missing voice in our political discourse. It should do so because it fits the historical tide of strengthening democracy through enfranchisement.
There is no reason to doubt 16-year-olds’ ability to make voting decisions. Critics often cite this group’s lack of individuality and maturity as evidence against lowering the voting age. This argument fails for multiple reasons. First, extensive knowledge should not serve as a prerequisite for voting rights. The current American electorate as a whole has become significantly ill-informed about politics. [1] Hence, if adults are just as ignorant about politics as 16-year-olds are, why allow one group to vote but not another? Furthermore, the requirement of sound judgment can become an excuse for disenfranchisement. White Americans said the same about minorities. Men said the same about women. To tie good judgment to voting rights can become dangerous. Second, evidence has shown no irregularities about 16-year-olds’ political opinions. Public polling has shown that young people lean more liberal in their political thinking. This tendency seems unsurprising since it fits the overall correlation between young age and progressive stances. [2] Considering the consistency of this trend, it seems unlikely that outside factors disproportionately influence young people. Evidence in other countries further supports young people’s participation in voting. Austria’s decision to lower the voting age to 16 produced no observable adverse effects. On the contrary, young people may have become more likely to vote for their entire life due to that change. [3] Therefore, the age of 18 should not serve as a golden standard for voter eligibility.
Adding 16-year-olds to the voting block brings an unrepresented voice to political discourses. Seniors have long served as the most reliable voting block in the U.S. As a result, politicians have become more responsive to their needs. This tendency is likely causing significant underrepresentation of young people. As the most diverse age group in American history, young people’s views on politics differ drastically from previous generations. They are much more open to gender, race, and sexuality issues. They believe more in an expanding role of the government. They favor more action on climate change. [2] Since they are not likely to be represented at the polls by proxy, young people suffer substantial and sometimes irreparable harms due to the current voting age. Thus, the consequential and damaging effects of disenfranchisement demand a lower voting age.
The fight for a 16 voting age fits the historical trend. The United States has never stopped the discussion of voting rights. While lowering the voting age to 16 seems rather drastic, several precedents exist for such efforts. In the 1970s, 18-year-olds said: “if we are old enough to fight, we are old enough to vote.” Today, 16-year-olds are saying: “if we are old enough to pay taxes and work full-time, we are old enough to vote.” [4] Significant differences exist between the two circumstances. However, the historical context shows the need for a calm and merit-based discussion of the idea. In other words, calling an idea drastic should not qualify as a legitimate counter-argument with voting rights.
While this discussion focuses on the U.S, the same analysis can extend to other democracies. If significant merits exist for lowering the voting age to 16, there is no political, moral, or historical excuse to avoid doing so.
For these reasons, the U.S. should lower the voting age to 16.
[1]. Lehigh, Scot. 2017. "America’s Ill-Informed Electorate". The Boston Globe, , 2017. https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/columns/2017/01/03/voters-fault-doesn-lie-just-with-press/bOTozFqqAjlMl52oNp7n6L/story.html.
[2]. Parker, Kim, Nikki Graf, and Ruth Igielnik. 2019. "Generation Z Looks A Lot Like Millennials On Key Social And Political Issues". Pew Research Center. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2019/01/17/generation-z-looks-a-lot-like-millennials-on-key-social-and-political-issues/.
[3]. Wagner, Markus, David Johann, and Sylvia Kritzinger. 2012. "Voting At 16: Turnout And The Quality Of Vote Choice". Electoral Studies 31 (2): 372-383. doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2012.01.007.
[4]. Astor, Maggie. 2019. "16-Year-Olds Want A Vote. Fifty Years Ago, So Did 18-Year-Olds.". The New York Times, , 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/us/politics/voting-age.html.
Yes this is a good point, but for me neither 16-year-olds nor 18-year-olds are really in an informed position to vote nowadays. Whether it is true in real world or not, knowledge and maturity (which does not 100% depend on age, but it is more commonly seen from the early 20s onwards when people are more exposed to the real world) should play an important role in questions of the voting age. Voting is a huge responsibility that requires a greater understanding of what is going on in the world and what benefits society than people have at 16 or 18. For me, the early twenties are a good age for someone to start to vote, because for me it is not about just giving the choice to people to determine their lives by voting, but also to make their votes matter more and make a bigger impact in the world they live in. Real change presupposes knowledge and maturity, and I think voting is pivotal to real change.
I have concerns about requiring "maturity" or "knowledge" for voting. This argument can easily become ableist. Should we also ban people over 80 from voting, since they are likely to experience cognitive decline? Should we allow only educated people to vote, since they are much more likely to be better informed? Any such restrictions will pose significant harm to vulnerable groups. One can always argue "not all old people experience cognitive decline", but I think the same can be said of 16-year-olds and their maturity.
Moreover, voting should be an end to itself rather than a means. I too believe voting is an important means of enacting change, but I think it is first and foremost a political right. It ensures consent of the governed. Thus, one cannot judge voting rights based on the potential outcomes of their votes. In other words, "would this group enact responsible and real changes" is completely irrelevant to their voting rights. It would be a plus if they do, and it would be a plus if the voters are all informed and mature. However, the absence of these good qualities does not take away voting rights. In the same way, a person retains right to life, even if they do not contribute anything and live on government welfare. A person retains right to speech, even if they use it exclusively to insult people (barring some public safety exceptions). Fundamental rights, by definition, require no qualification. Thus, a person does not have to vote rationally to be allowed to vote. Young people should not become an exception here.
I don't think it is a matter of qualification, but a matter of experience, which does not put a 16-year-old and an 80-year-old person on the same spectrum. Ablism would be if the issue of maturity etc was based on qualifications, but as the world has shown time and again it is not based on qualifications. Experience means different things to different people, and I think starts to grow from the ages of adulthood and afterwards.
Voting is not something to be taken lightly. It should not be done easily. Immature people and people who do not care should be discouraged from voting.
With the exception of military, I propose that the voting age should be raised to 25.
Hear hear.
Strongly disagree. What did any of us know about politics at 18. It should be raised to 25.
Hell no. No taxation without representation? If we can take a 17 year olds tax dollars when they work, they have every right to vote. You say anyone under 18 isn't educated enough to vote, most older voters ive met have no clue what they are doing and just stick to whatever party they always have, no nuance. We might as well allow younger people to vote since we allow actually r...um mentally handicapped folks, fresh immigrants, people with alzheimers, split personalities, and apparently even the dead to vote.
Eighteen is the age one becomes an adult.
Eighteen is the age one pays taxes.
Eighteen is the age one can sign legally binding contracts.
There is really no reason to lower or raise the voting age from a logical standpoint. Really, there shouldn't be an argument after noting eighteen is the legally specified age of adulthood. Children don't have the same rights or responsibilities of adults and it's the adults' jobs to take care of children.
Adults also pay into the society which we live by way of taxation. Adults have skin in the game, children do not.
Adults are at least in part held responsible for the decisions of their children because adults are generally wiser and more experienced. The age of eighteen might be arbitrary but it works and it's fine where it's at.
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