Lowering the voting age?

I think that if people are able to work and get taxed at 16, they should vote then too. Teenagers need a lot more rights than they have.

 

Hm, I dont know if it's the same voting age in your country as in mine, but our voting age is 18 right now, and there has been some discussion whether to lower it to 16.
In my opinion, when you're old enough to get punished (as you are in Denmark when you're 16) then you should have to right to have some influence on the system. It doesn't seem right that you can't vote when you can get punished. Also, I think that a lot of 16 year-olds really care. People say that 16 year-olds doesnt even care and they wouldn't vote and stuff. Well, then they could just vote blank, I mean, then the ones who wanted to vote could. I think it's important to give them some rights

 

Exactly, people can be charged as ADULTS in crimes, work, and even in my state legally have sex with an adult not in a position of authority over them at 16... but can't vote? So legally the person running for that office could have sex with the 16-year-old, but the 16-year-old isn't allowed to vote for them.

 

The flaws in democracy become astoundingly apparent if you sit and have a five minute conversation with the average voter. There are people 18, 21+ who simply shouldn't have the vote due to sheer stupidity. The fact is the vast majority of any voting public is very uninformed. They make their choices based on what they're told by dumbed down campaigns, or their friends, or the sensationalist tabloids, or by their holy book of choice. Giving these people a voice in the government they don't understand that runs the country they know little about is absurd, but it's done in the name of equality, and perhaps rightly so, who's to say? This applies to virtually the entire population of course, but especially so to teenagers. Why don't we let 15 year olds have sex, or 12 year olds drive? The answer is simple; the law judges them to be unable to make an informed decision.

Honestly, it's all very well and good to say "if they can be taxed they should get a vote" and so on, and it's that kind of thinking that the current "a vote for everyone" method is based on. It's an admirable one, but incredibly flawed. How many 16 year olds do you know that actually have a functional grasp on politics of any kind? Chances are if asked, they'd spout buzzwords at you, perhaps something about gay marriage or taxes being "totally gay dude", and settle down with a smug grin, assured of their own knowledge and unaware that they're about as informed on politics as the average hamster wheel. That's right, not the hamster; the hamster's wheel.

These kids (below) are about sixteen, I'd say.



You'd like to give them a say in how your country is run?

 

How extremely ignorant of you. I am suggesting lowering to let in people who actually do care, there are people who are like those people at ANY AGE.

 

Those people probably do care about political issues. The legality of marijuana, the legal age for consumption of alcohol, those sorts of things. You may be suggesting lowering it for people who care and that's an admirable thought, but it's a moronic one regardless. Maybe 5% of the 16-year-old population has a good enough knowledge of politics for their vote to be worth a damn, and that's a generous guess.

There may be people like that in all age groups, but behaviour like that does tend to be grown out of. Don't get me wrong, some never grow out of it and certainly not always by 18, but I imagine as soon as they leave high school and get a taste of real world/college, it'll make them a little more wise and a little less imbecilic - as is usually the case.

As I've stated, the current voting system is exceptionally flawed as it is. Let's not add to that by allowing our high school-age kids to vote.

 

i think teenagers should have more right but at the same time i dont think they should i agree teenagers need more rights, but them what about the other teenagers who cannt be bothered and dont really think about who they are voting for, but other certain things should be lowered like, getting married at 16 with out permission, or being able to move out with legally with out consent

 

There are plenty of people who are like that regardless of their age. Your attitude is extremely ignorant and it is the attitude that is going to make are society mainly adult orientated. There are MILLIONS of youth that care about politics, but no one gives a damn about them. So why should they give a damn about anyone else? The drinking age isn't even a moronic debate topic. People get sent to war, jury duty, can buy smokes, have sex, vote, yet cannot even drink in America? Do you even realize how stupid that is? I am not even saying the drinking age needs to be lowered, I am saying that it just doesn't add up. If you trust an 18-year-old in Iraq with OUR WEAPONS, the lives of OUR SOLDIERS, etc. Why can't they drink?

The drinking age is NOT an immature topic. Look at the fight to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 so many years ago. It went by the same standards, we can go to war, but can't do this? There are always going to be people that have some excuse why the law should stay where it is, and there are always going to be people that want to change this. When slavery still existed there were studies saying blacks were too stupid to function normally and slavery was helping them. Look at the studies saying our youth are too stupid to do some things. Things NEED to change.

 

When teenagers can make the right choices despite their own wants and needs, when they understand the issues then sure.


As far as drinking, i would disagree and the age should remain where it is. Booze and people of any age leads to stupidity and often death. People die on our streets everyday because of booze, I would rather hold off as long as possible. Trusting teens with arms in Iraq who are of sound mind and body, who are sober and able to make decisions is hardly the same issue as some drunk teenager who cant see their own hand infront of their face. Booze affects the mental capabilities of anyone and the longer we can keep it from them the better.

 

Sorry if this message is offensive to anyone in any way, but it doesn't really matter, does it? The minimum age is just a cut-off point, and the debate as to whether or not people are 'mature' at a certain age is really an endless one. After all, people are all different, and we mature at different rates.

And about the 'needs' - really, what constitutes a 'need'? A 'need' is probably something that one cannot do without; something which one MUST have in order to survive (or at least, maintain his own standard of living). In this case, I don't really think these 'needs' are justified =/

Or maybe it's just the society we're brought up in... I'm not from the States, haha xD
So yeah, just my two cents' worth...

 

It's every adults given right to vote, weather you think it's dumb or not. People died for this right, given a lot of people may not have logical reasons to vote on a particular person. Everyone deserves to vote, I'm sure there are a lot of people smarter than you who might think the reasons you vote are pretty stupid but that's just an opinion.

As for age, I think someone should be allowed to vote after taking their state and local government courses (which usually happens your senior year once you're 18 :lol: )

 

If the voting age was already lowered before, lowering it again will only open another can of worms, and it's going to be a never-ending process. Just because there are some people who are unhappy about this system does not mean that it is a bad one.

TBH, there are always unhappy people. We can never reach a consensus. So why not just stick to things? Gah, after all, everyone will reach the voting age sooner or later -.-

 

At sixteen, most people can't handle the right to vote. It's as simple as that. This same reasoning is applied to drinking, having sex, driving a car, buying rated R movie tickets, and riding the big boy rides at the amusement park. Sometimes, no matter how grown up you are, there are people who will simply mess it up for everyone. Sure, you might be able to handle voting at sixteen because you're more responsible and such, but not everyone is as mature as you think you are. In my school, you can't have a book bag at all. Not because it looks better for the school, but because it makes it harder for a student to conceal a weapon or traffic drugs. Joy, right? You don't need the rule (because hopefully, you wouldn't bring a firearm or marijuana to school in the first place), but the rule isn't meant for you. They can't make an exception just for you, so the rule applies for everyone.

Yes, YOU might care about having a positive impact on society and learning political platforms, voting habits, and where certain candidates stand on an important issue, but... others your age are more interested in which candidate is "in". Obama was "in", McCain was "out". Obama got most of the younger crowd's vote because of a bandwagon. I know who I support, but why? Because I watch the news, read the paper, weigh options, and pick who I think to be the best candidate.

And for those that would like to argue the drinking age - Serious, teenagers can barely handle a car. If you let them drink while holding the keys to their parents' car in their hand, DUI's would be passes out right and left and drunk driving accidents would be all over the place. They let you drive at sixteen so you know how to handle it by the time you're able to legally drink... hopefully. I agree with our current system, which is designed to give you a little responsibility at a time. Most 21 year-olds can't handle alcohol. What makes you think you can? (And I don't even see why this is an issue. Get a 21 year-old friend. Duh.)

 

I have to agree I think MOST teenagers have to much drama and problems in their lives. They cant seem to keep their own lives straight, they have no clue what they want or who they are. I dont want some walking, talking hormone to have a vote on a future they cant see. What teenager plans ahead?

 

I don't really care about voting and all. When I hit 18 I may not even vote. At the moment I feel unaffected anyway so idk, idc

 

Yeah, but how many adults have a functional grasp of politics at all?

Lowering the voting age would be fair, as 16 year olds get taxed too - and don't have a say in who run's their country! Some 16 year olds have a much better understanding of politics than most adults, and it is fair to let them have their opinion.

 

You can't compare the political knowledge of the elites of teenagers who know their politics to the slum of adults who don't even know their name. And yes, most adults don't have a great grasp on whats going on either, but when you compare all adults to all teens, adults have more political knowledge.

If you can't wait two years for your voice to be heard, join a campaign team, go door to door explaining how the candidate you're backing is better in some way. You can still make an impact at a younger age, just not the impact you want (voting).

 

I agree with Rhett. There is no need for 16 year olds to be voting yet, they can get involved in politics in other ways. And there are adults in the world who don't know what they're voting for either.

There is another aspect to look at as well. Generally speaking, teenagers tend to follow the crowd even if the crowd is wrong. That would not lend nicely to having a country that is governed by a true majority, because crowds with enough power tend to grow exponentially.

Yet another reason not to lower the voting age is because it would set a precedent. If you can be mature enough to vote at 16, then why not 15? 14? Do you really want people who are that young having a say in what goes on, even if they are fairly informed? What age is "maturity?" Should young teens have to pass a test to vote? Then you'd have the same thing they had with the blacks so many years ago, forcing them to read lines of Shakespeare aloud before they'd be let near the voting booths?

Just a thought <3

 

The problem is that the majority of teenagers don't have a clue about what their vote entail nor are they interested; c'mon for a 16 - 20 year old they rather just chill and play games or go out then research on the parties in their columns.

 

I think the voting age of 18 makes sense. You gain most of your independence at that age, and therefore, voting and getting your voice heard is that much more important. Under the age of 18, I'm pretty sure that at least by the government, you are treated as a juvenile, most of the time (unless the crime is extremely severe) you're typically tried as a juvenile, you can't really declare financial independence from the parental units (again, except in extreme cases), but as a whole, most people aren't given the same rights as adults until they are 18.

With that said, the question of whether or not to reduce all of these rights from 18 to 16 is a different matter altogether. But I feel like voting rights should correspond to these other rights.