Lowering The Voting Age

254 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Why voting age should be reduced

Lowering the age limit to 16 would help the participation in the presidential election? In my opinion on the issue I personally believe we should keep the voting age at 18. To begin with, younger voters are not interested in the presidental election as much as older voters. According to a U.S Census Bureau report, only 38% of voters in the 18 - 24 age group voted in 2012. Which means younger voters did not vote at all in the 2012 presidential election. Allowing younger citzens to vote may not increase the voting participation in the presidential or congressional elections. In addition, The United States ranks at the bottom of developed nations in turnout. Countries with the highest turnout,such as Belgium, requires citizens to vote. I

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Why I Want To Vote

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    As becoming the age of 18, people has the chance to start voting. People 18-24 have a lower percentage of voting than other ages. This is because the youth vote has changed over time and the reasons why the youth vote doesn’t want to vote. I will vote in the upcoming elections when I turn of

    Read More

  • Voting Participation in the United States

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to a study done by Nonprofit Vote only “an estimated 58.7% of eligible voters turned out to vote” ("Voter Turnout" ) in 2012’s presidential election, which is below the 62% that was achieved in 2008. (Ginsberg 306). According to the United States Census Bureau in 2012 71.2 percent of Americans reported that they were registered to vote, but only 61.8 reported that they actually did so. ("Voting and Registration"). While each source didn’t report the exact same statistics in America these percentages are considered highs in political participation. Even worse, in midterm elections voter turnout is normally closer to 33% and even lower for any local elections. (Ginsberg 306). While we may consider any of those statistics good for America, looking at world democracies we are trailing far behind, in many “European countries and other western democracies [the] national voter turnout is usually between 70 to 90 percent.”(Ginsberg 306). The question is then asked why don’t American’s vote, which is then an...

    Read More

  • Youth Voter Turnout in Canada

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Research has brought about an abundance of reasons why youth are becoming less engaged in the political process. Education, absence of political knowledge, the media and family influence, indifference to election campaigns, inadequate amount of change, and lack of motivation are all possible factors in influencing the youth voter turnout.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Lowering The Voting Age

    300 Words  | 1 Pages

    The age at which one is eligible to vote has been a source of heated discussions and debates. Should the voting age be lowered? Should it remain at age 18?

    Read More

  • Why College Students Don't Vote

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    The biggest factor that turns people away from voting is the feeling of ineffectuality. Based on an article from September 1999 in The Maneater, students feel as if voting won't make a difference. "I don't vote because I can't make a big difference, even though they say I can," junior Jack Weatherman said. "Even my political science teacher said one person can't change things" (http://www.themaneater.com/1999/09/21/news/apathy.html). Unless society and politicians show the world that every vote counts, and everybody can make a difference this feeling will always remain. People need to understand that if every single person tries to make a difference, then the combination of everyone's efforts will make a difference. The important thing to remember is that it takes the effort of the individual to give strength to the power of the whole.

    Read More

  • Why We Should Increase the Voting Age

    756 Words  | 2 Pages

    Voting is important to make sure that the government operates the way it’s designed to and make sure that the citizen’s beliefs are heard by the country political system. From 1781-1971 the voting rights have changed drastically. It started with only allowing men who owned property and were 21 and older to vote. It changed allowing 21 and older to vote regardless of race or ethnic background. Women were later allowed to vote. Finally the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18 (Voting History). When a group or person is voting, they are expressing an opinion following a discussion, debate, or campaign. Many people of all ages vote, 18 to 20 year olds are only a small part of the votes. When voting for your country or anything you should know what you are voting for. Many teens don’t. Their votes can be influenced by parents and peers making their votes not true. Being a teen you are not educated enough to even know or understand what they are voting for. The United States Government should increase the legal voting age to allow teens to wait until they fully understand what they are voting for and let them gain their own values to vote for what they think is right.

    Read More

  • Why Should The Voting Age Change?

    124 Words  | 1 Pages

    I also think that the voting age should change because it would give the 16 year olds a reason to have pride of their country. We make bad decisions making just like adults do. We live in this country just like adults do. For example, say one day we choose a bad president, say he changes everything about the country we live in.The adults and the 16 year olds would have to change the way they have lived in the past and become more adapt to the new changes in their country. The adults are not in this alone. Whatever happens to the country about bad decisions making they are dragging in the 16 year olds that could not make any decisions for themselves.

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Lowering The Voting Age

    363 Words  | 1 Pages

    As voter turnout flucuates upwards and otherwise, we as americans are forced to consider the following; whether to keep the minimum age of 18, or lower it to 16. While there are potential issues with lowering the age, there are also ways we could benefit, such as giving more citizens a say in the way society is managed. Lowering the voting age would also allow for young people to balance the ages of voting citizens. A possible downside to lowering the age could be that, at an earlier age than normal, people may get discouraged about politics, and stop voting altogether.

    Read More

  • Lowering Voting Age

    309 Words  | 1 Pages

    What is your opinion on lowering the voting age? I personally think that lowering the voting age is not a good idea. First of all, I believe that a certain level of responsibility comes with being able to vote. Futhermore, most of our younger voters now do not even bother to vote. Lastly, we should focus more on how to increase voting in our eligible voters , and less on lowering the age limit.

    Read More

  • Should Teens Be Able To Vote

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teens are constantly being compared to their college aged peers when it comes to politics. Why cluster these two different age groups together? Both demographics have different priorities. This can leave college student preoccupied. If the voting age were lowered, the turn out rate could then make up for the college students not voting. There are plenty of success stories about states and countries lowering the voting age. For example, in 1996, Lower Saxon, a state in Germany, lowered the local voting age to 16. In the end, more 16 and 17 year olds came out to

    Read More

  • The Voting Age

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nowadays in the classrooms, social studies class gives an unbiased perspective on the current day politics, which should ensure that the American students are well-taught on our current society and the governmental actions that surround it. According to the Economist, “those who do not take it (voting) young may never start. That could lead to ever-lower participation rates in decades to come.” Basically, this says that if teenagers do not start voting at a younger age, then they will feel as if voting isn’t one-hundred percent necessary, although the importance of voting skyrockets yearly. Although some argue that lowering the voting age is a question of maturity, others suggest more pivotal dangers, like the drop in voting numbers. To explain this further, in this same article, it describes the consistency of a drop in percentage of teenagers voting, and an increase in the over 65 voting percentage. The quote is as follows: “Turnout of American voters under 25 at presidential elections fell from 50% in 1972 to 38% in 2012; among over-65s it rose from 64% to 70%” The point that is being made is that the possible lack of maturity is of the contrary when you think about the future, and it’s possible unfortunate

    Read More

  • Essay On The Voting Age

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    If there were less inexperience voters in a polling station, this would mean that there would be less people making the wrong decision, and more would be making the right one. Eighteen year olds would be more likely to vote or increment in a population a politician that would affect the society, rather than improving it. People should vote for the candidate or leader that encourages a sustainable economy that would be able to provide for the poor. I personally believe that if older a person is, then more self-sufficient that person would become at doing its tasks. The legal voting age should be retuned to twenty-one because with ages comes maturity. An entire society should not pay the consequences for the decisions of an inexperience

    Read More

  • Voting Age Voting

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ion. In the 11 major states, only 66% of eligible voters turned out in the 2012 election, and in the 39 other states the voter turnout averaged at 57% (What Affects Voter Turnout Rates). These numbers are a harsh pill to swallow. Not only are non imprtant states turnout low, but the 11 key states even have low turnout. Our country, and states should be focusing on increasing these numbers. This is backed by Jenny Cheng, a lecturer at Vanderbilt Law School said “Interest in improing young adults’ political participation would be better focused on attacking barriers like residency requirements that exclude college students…The voting age is the least of their problems” (Cheng). Lowereing the voting age is not a wise choice. This debate on lowering the voting age should be ended, and time should be focused on increasing voter registration and increasing voter turnout.

    Read More

  • Teenagers Should Be Able For Vote For Their Future

    1211 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some would argue that teenagers aged 16 and 17 are not interested in voting or how poltics work all together. However, this is not true as in the Scottish Referendum more than 100,000 of 16 and 17 year olds were registered to vote by polling day on the 18th of September 2014. 100,000 of 16 and 17 year olds were interested in voicing their opinion on a subject that would affect not only their future but the future of Scotland and the United Kingdom. If they weren 't interested in voting then they wouldn 't have registered. Does this not prove that teenagers are more interested in voting than some may think? I think so. Now we all know that not every teenager is going to want to be involved in voting, but why should we say that all 16 and 17 year old shouldn 't be allowed to vote because of the small minority that wouldn 't vote when there is a larger number that would participant in a vote. Teenagers were very involved with the referendum. There were many heated debates that took place in and out of the classroom all around Scotland. The Senior Liberal Democrats Minister and Scottish MP, Danny Alexander t...

    Read More

  • Essay On Youth Vote

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some of the problems faced when it comes to politics and voting in local, state or federal elections are due to the age of citizens voting. One problem being that, not as many young people are active participants in voting during elections. This could be due to lack of interest or knowledge about politics or the candidates. If the right education about how to vote and what it means to vote could not only help influence younger people to vote but also could mean that the legal voting age could possibly be reduced to early teens.

    Read More

More about Lowering The Voting Age

Open Document