Should the Voting Age be Lowered?

[Caninope]

At sixteen, I can join the army and die for my country.

I don't know what country you're living in, so I'll just use my own (the United States) as a reference. In the US, you may enlist at the age of 17 with parental consent and 18 without consent. You do not sign up for the Selective Service until the age of 18.

At sixteen, I can get married and father children.

Fathering children is a physical thing, but as far as I know, you cannot be forced to pay child support before the age of 18, at least in most American jurisdictions. in every jurisdiction in America but one (Mississippi), you cannot get married any younger than 18 without parental consent. The sole exception is Mississippi, which requires anyone below the age of 21 to get parental consent.

At sixteen, I can receive a provisional driver's licence and roll around the streets.

Actually, that depends on the state.

[Syndicapolis]

I think newborn babies should be allowed to vote if they want to.

[72o]

raise it to 21.

[Caninope]

Hell, in some countries, minors can be executed.

Not anyplace civilized

Unless you hold that the US is not anyplace civilized (although it's more like adults are executed for crimes committed as juveniles).

[Torisakia]

I'll be blunt. 16-yr olds, 18-yr olds, and even most 28-yr olds are too ignorant to vote. I can count the number of times I've heard someone under the age of 21 make a coherent argument for or against a candidate on one hand.

I think we should administer a test on every ballot. Have a multiple choice quiz asking who the congressman and senator are for that district, as well as the leaders of both houses, the president, and the three branches of government. If they don't get at least 4 of the questions right, their vote goes in the trash.

I'm all for this idea.

[Caninope]

I'll be blunt. 16-yr olds, 18-yr olds, and even most 28-yr olds are too ignorant to vote. I can count the number of times I've heard someone under the age of 21 make a coherent argument for or against a candidate on one hand.

I think we should administer a test on every ballot. Have a multiple choice quiz asking who the congressman and senator are for that district, as well as the leaders of both houses, the president, and the three branches of government. If they don't get at least 4 of the questions right, their vote goes in the trash.

I'm all for this idea.

I'm not. It tries to frame voting as a privilege when it is in fact a corresponding right.

[Monkeykind]

raise it to 21.

The voting age does not need an increase.

[The Vekta-Helghast Empire]

No, he's framing it in the right respective, as he's not going by "rights". Kobol pointed out a very significant duty, and proposed a right that corresponds to it. It's a generally accepted idea that responsibilities (and more specifically, duties) and rights correspond to each other, and therefore it makes sense to pair them.

If anything, your system makes less sense as a framing device, given that you make people between the ages of 18-25 directly affected to the point of being able to be drafted (giving them a very real stake in society), but without giving them an appropriate say. You are separating the rights and the responsibilities. Tell me; if we don't trust 18 year olds to make a good decision in the ballot box, why should we trust them to make a good decision in another country when bullets are flying towards them?

The subtleties of politics are hard to grasp, let alone master.

Its far more complicated then the decisions involved in drinking, joining the army, or driving a car. And its also deeply intellectual...

Its best to let the populace gain more maturity, knowledge, observations and experience before giving them this power. They are more likely to treasure it and the collective is more likely to make better decisions.

This is coming from someone who wants to ban dogs because he had one bad experience with one almost ten years ago.. I don't think you can really talk about things being intellectual or mature.

[The Vekta-Helghast Empire]

At sixteen, I can join the army and die for my country.

At sixteen, I can get married and father children.

At sixteen, I can receive a provisional driver's licence and roll around the streets.

Yet, I can't have a say in who's going to be sending me off to die for my country.

I can't have a say in who'll define how my children will be educated.

And I can't have a say in who will be managing our roads and defining the law.


I think it's safe to say, I support the voting age being lowered to 16.

You act like two years of not being able to pick who you want as President will impact the whole world.

I'm just stating the idiocy behind it all. If I'm old enough and considered mature enough to be trained to use a gun and kill another man, why is it that I'm not considered old enough and mature enough to put a tick on a ballot and put it in a box to signify who I wish to see lead my nation and make decisions which could potentially cost me -MY- life? (Also, I'm British, so It'd be Prime Minister for me )

Plus that works both ways, raise the voting age then say to 18 year olds, "You act like two years of not being able to pick who you vote for as President will impact the whole world."

I'm currently 17 and I've lived with unelected governments for my entire life, I know what it's like not having control over your own destiny and I'm pretty sure my entire nation does.

[Monkeykind]

You act like two years of not being able to pick who you want as President will impact the whole world.

I'm just stating the idiocy behind it all. If I'm old enough and considered mature enough to be trained to use a gun and kill another man, why is it that I'm not considered old enough and mature enough to put a tick on a ballot and put it in a box to signify who I wish to see lead my nation and make decisions which could potentially cost me -MY- life? (Also, I'm British, so It'd be Prime Minister for me )

Plus that works both ways, raise the voting age then say to 18 year olds, "You act like two years of not being able to pick who you vote for as President will impact the whole world."

I'm currently 17 and I've lived with unelected governments for my entire life, I know what it's like not having control over your own destiny and I'm pretty sure my entire nation does.

People want to raise it to 21, so that would actually be "You act like three years of not being able to pick who you vote for as President will impact the whole world."
Also I agree with your post.

[Torisakia]

I'm all for this idea.

I'm not. It tries to frame voting as a privilege when it is in fact a corresponding right.

It should be a privilege. Why let people who have no clue about politics or the candidates vote? Just a waste of paper or datum, if you ask me.

You act like two years of not being able to pick who you want as President will impact the whole world.

I'm just stating the idiocy behind it all. If I'm old enough and considered mature enough to be trained to use a gun and kill another man, why is it that I'm not considered old enough and mature enough to put a tick on a ballot and put it in a box to signify who I wish to see lead my nation and make decisions which could potentially cost me -MY- life? (Also, I'm British, so It'd be Prime Minister for me )

Plus that works both ways, raise the voting age then say to 18 year olds, "You act like two years of not being able to pick who you vote for as President will impact the whole world."

I'm currently 17 and I've lived with unelected governments for my entire life, I know what it's like not having control over your own destiny and I'm pretty sure my entire nation does.

>Implying that all 16 year olds are mature.

[Monkeykind]

I'm not. It tries to frame voting as a privilege when it is in fact a corresponding right.

It should be a privilege. Why let people who have no clue about politics or the candidates vote? Just a waste of paper or datum, if you ask me.

Not all adults have an interest in politics, but they vote.

[Exxosia]

In my experience, the average 18 year old is about as bright as the average 13 year old. The only difference is that one is a little more respectful and aware of their actions. I believe that this is a side effect of American and Canadian culture where we infantilize our children and then dump adulthood on them at 21, so they don't have themselves together until they are 24 or 25.

So I would say that if we radically altered our culture to stop being idiotic and broken by design, we could keep it at 18 and possibly provide early voting to people as young as 15 that can pass a basic reading comprehension test. Otherwise, I would raise it to 24.

[Svaskiv]

Lowering the voting age? no, just no! i just don't see how that could be any good idea at all. I would call it a collective suicide.

my nation (Sweden) conducted a national "experiment" a few years ago, making a "fake" election to see what political party that had the youth's favor.
among 7 parties, one gained over 70% of the votes. and yes it was the most national- socialistic of them.

no, don't lower the standard for voting

[CTALNH]

Everything should be lowered down to 16.

Driving,Drinking etc etc.

[Oceasia]

Lowering the voting age? no, just no! i just don't see how that could be any good idea at all. I would call it a collective suicide.

my nation (Sweden) conducted a national "experiment" a few years ago, making a "fake" election to see what political party that had the youth's favor.
among 7 parties, one gained over 70% of the votes. and yes it was the most national- socialistic of them.

no, don't lower the standard for voting

I'm curious as to why the youth voted the most national-socialistic party.

[CTALNH]

Lowering the voting age? no, just no! i just don't see how that could be any good idea at all. I would call it a collective suicide.

my nation (Sweden) conducted a national "experiment" a few years ago, making a "fake" election to see what political party that had the youth's favor.
among 7 parties, one gained over 70% of the votes. and yes it was the most national- socialistic of them.

no, don't lower the standard for voting

I'm curious as to why the youth voted the most national-socialistic party.

Because a minority a swedes always liked Hitler?

You do know Swedes had Eugenics up to the 70s right?

[Caninope]

I'm not. It tries to frame voting as a privilege when it is in fact a corresponding right.

It should be a privilege. Why let people who have no clue about politics or the candidates vote?

Because under the current legal system, they are stakeholders. They can serve in the military, and if they're male, it's legally possible for them to be drafted. They are forced to serve jury duty. They are forced to abide by the legal system of the country, and are wholly responsible for the contracts they sign.

They are stakeholders, and with the responsibilities and duties of being stakeholders come the rights to exercise their stake through items such as voting. Conversely, you may see the reciprocal relationship as the state exercising a duty toward's it's citizens in response to it's citizens exercising a duty towards the state.

[Monkeykind]

Lowering the voting age? no, just no! i just don't see how that could be any good idea at all. I would call it a collective suicide.

my nation (Sweden) conducted a national "experiment" a few years ago, making a "fake" election to see what political party that had the youth's favor.
among 7 parties, one gained over 70% of the votes. and yes it was the most national- socialistic of them.

no, don't lower the standard for voting

I'm curious as to why the youth voted the most national-socialistic party.

Because they thought it was the best?

[Alcase]

Everything should be lowered down to 16.

Driving,Drinking etc etc.

I don't agree with your proposed drinking age, but you can legally drive without an adult in the car at 16.

[CTALNH]

Everything should be lowered down to 16.

Driving,Drinking etc etc.

I don't agree with your proposed drinking age, but you can legally drive without an adult in the car at 16.

Not where I live.

[Ifreann]

No.

If you're too young to fight, then you're too young to vote.

this,

the voting age should be the age of conscription. if your old enough to be forced to die for your country, your old enough to have a say.

Wouldn't this mean that women would be disenfranchised again? And what about those too old to be drafted?

---

At sixteen, I can join the army and die for my country.

At sixteen, I can get married and father children....

I wasn't aware that there was any age at which it wasn't legal to father children.

[Caninope]

this,

the voting age should be the age of conscription. if your old enough to be forced to die for your country, your old enough to have a say.

Wouldn't this mean that women would be disenfranchised again? And what about those too old to be drafted?

Given that women can serve (and I'm not opposed to including them into the Selective Service), I'd say they're adequately covered. Furthermore, I would say that anyone who has already been through that period of time has completed his responsibilities (and not shirked them), and has therefore entitled to rights based on his completion of his obligations.

[Ucropi]

Raise it to 20 I don't want Justin Bieber running my country.

[CTALNH]

this,

the voting age should be the age of conscription. if your old enough to be forced to die for your country, your old enough to have a say.

Wouldn't this mean that women would be disenfranchised again? And what about those too old to be drafted?

---

At sixteen, I can join the army and die for my country.

At sixteen, I can get married and father children....

I wasn't aware that there was any age at which it wasn't legal to father children.

I know you didnot mean to but your technically saying pedophilia is okay.