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Should 16 Year Olds be Allowed to Vote?

 Why the Voting Age Should be 16

The voting age is always something that has been a topic of debate. Around the time of the Vietnam War, the voting age was 21. During this time there was a massive uprising to change the voting age from 21 to 18. It was successfully changed and now in this country when you’re turned 18 you can vote on election day. Now in the 21st century, a new voting age has been proposed; 16. Maggie Astor, an author for The New York Times states that “Fifty years later, there is a nascent movement to change the voting age again - this time to 16”. While this idea isn’t completely new, it's still not in the spotlight quite yet. For this to change would be a huge leap in politics and voting rights.

  Prexel

Why Lower?

I believe that the voting age should indeed be lowered to 16, for numerous reasons. When you’re 16, you start to inherit all these responsibilities. It's when you get a license, maybe your first job. All these things require you, to in a sense, grow up a bit. Voting should be added to that list, however, I think that if a 16-year-old wants to vote, they should at least be more formally informed on government and how it works.

Taxes

A big push for 16-year-olds to vote is taxes. When you’re 16 you most likely already have a job or are first getting one. Personally, when I turned 16 I also got a job. One thing that comes with having a job is taxes. We’ve all been there, staring your paycheck in the face, looking at how much money the government has sucked away. Now that you’ve become an official slave to the government, you’d think you’d also earn the right to vote. You’d be wrong. You may be asking ‘Isn’t this taxation without representation?’ and you would be correct. Taxation without representation is one of the reasons why we are no longer a British Colony. As a 16-year-old, I now pay taxes, which go towards benefiting lots of things. My personal income is being affected and I have no say in how it’s being affected. I feel that I should be able to vote for this reason among others.

                                                               Tax, Charity, Donations                                                                              

Socially and Accessibility

Now more than ever information is easy to access. At just the touch of a button, you have the whole world at your fingertips. You even have more computing power in your pocket than the Apollo 13 astronauts. This makes politics and political issues easier to follow. “Youth interest in politics in advance of the 2020 election is higher than it has been in recent election cycles, a survey from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University finds.” (Youth Interest) More than in previous years, young people have been more interested than ever in politics. 5 or 10 years ago politics was seen to be more an “adult” issue. But now that things are changing, the youth wants to get more and more involved. I believe it’s due to the fact that as 16 and 17-year-olds, our future is at stake during these elections. Yet we have no say in who will be in the white house for the next 4 years.
Spiske


Comment what you think! Do you think the voting age should be changed, why or why not?





Works Cited

Astor, Maggie. "16-Year-Olds Want a Vote. Fifty Years Ago, So Did 18-Year-Olds." New York Times, The New York Times Company, May 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/us/politics/voting-age.html. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.

Prexels. www.pexels.com/photo/i-voted-sticker-lot-1550340/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.

Spiske, Markus. "Free Stock Images." Prexel, www.pexels.com/photo/climate-sign-outside-blur-2990644/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.

"Tax, Charity, Donation." Pixabay, pixabay.com/photos/tax-charity-donation-receipt-1103675/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2020.

"Youth interest in 2020 election higher than in previous years." Philanthropy News Digest, Candid, July 2020, philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/youth-interest-in-2020-election-higher-than-in-previous-years. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.

Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 11, 2020 at 9:08 AM

    I definitely agree with your opinion that teenagers should have a bigger say in the government, especially with all of the large changes going on recently in the country. You said that in order for 16 year olds to vote, they should be informed about the government, so what is a way to ensure that all teenagers in the country are up to date with the latest issues?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownDecember 11, 2020 at 8:10 PM

      Hi Maddie, I think to achieve this by moving civics education down to either sophomore or junior year. This way students will have to learn more about the government.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousDecember 11, 2020 at 8:05 PM

    This is so well written. I really resonate with your ideas throughout the piece, and you pulled in many good references that make the piece accessible and persuasive. Great read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownDecember 14, 2020 at 10:53 AM

      Sophie - Hello Sara! Thank you so much for commenting I really appreciate it. I worked very hard on making sure I had good reliable sources, and making sure my argument was clear.

      Delete

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