When it comes to lowering or keeping the voting age at 18, I am usually neutral about it. if I had to choose I don't see the harm in lowering the voting age. In America the people who usually vote are the elderly, lowering the voting age may help to balance it out because many young people don't have a say in certian outcomes with voting. There were a lot of predictions about lowering the age to 18 that all turned out to be untrue. While there are only 38% of voter aged from 18 to 24 that voted in 2012 and many can say that lowering the age would only lower those numbers, take a look at Austria whom has the highest voter participation and their age is set to 16! There is nothing special about the age being 18, with a low amount of young people voting it can bring America to the top with participation rate.
First off, the elderly are some of the highest people who vote in America, I say lowering the voting age may encourage people who are younger to start voting more. I stand by this because from experience and seeing many young people who are not satisified with some voting outcomes, they barely have a say in the matter because they cannot vote.
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16, 17, all the way 24 are the people who are usually interested in politics, lowering the age can bring new and interesting changes if they vote. We are the lowest when it comes to participation in voting, Austria has their age set at 16 and they have the a phenomenal rate, capping at 98%! There are people who think that young people shouldn't be added to the electorate, I say those people are Elitists. You shouldn't be close minded about this because if it works for other countries, it can work for America too! This is the land of the free, we should be able to give young adults a say in the matter
... equal system. The lower age could also encourage and interest youth much more in political processes and parties as now they would actually be able to impact the way they are governed and who is governing them. Politics would be much more noticeable in schools and the general knowledge of politics and the political process would drastically increase. The youth would also be more likely to develop earlier the skills and potentials needed in later life politically and even socially. In conclusion when all is said and done I, personally would like to say the voting age lowered to sixteen for many of the reasons above. There will be many people opposing this movement but I think it is time for the youth of Canada to be heard and if they wish they should have the opportunity to vote and express their opinions and choices.
In “You’re 16, You’re Beautiful and You’re a Voter,” author Anya Kamenetz states her belief that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen. Kamenetz gives several premises to her argument.
Considering the delegates that are currently running for office, a voter should have a vast level of understanding regarding the intentions of each and every candidate. Arguing whether to raise or lower the age limit for the right to vote has raised many speculations as to how it would affect the economy. There are pros and cons within both sides of the argument, but any decisions made by the powers that be will have an adverse effect on today’s society if it is placed in the hands of the younger generation. Therefore, raising the voting age to twenty-one is a better way of making sure that voters are more aware and would be more equipped to making a more sound decision rather than lowering
I think that the age to vote should be 21.I believe this is an acceptable age to vote at because at 21 you have graduated and possibly gone to college, and you most likely have a lot more free time to keep up with the political elections.When you become 21 you get a lot of privileges for example you will be legally aloud to do drugs along with being able to Obtain a concealed weapons permit. One reason you get these privileges is because you have mostly matured and our country has trusted you with these privileges. I believe that if you can vote then you can drink. If you can trust a student with the privilege to vote and determine the leader and future of our country then not to drink then I believe they should wait to vote until they are 21 to be able to vote.
If the voting age is lowered, it is true that a higher voter turnout would be a result. Other countries such as Belgium, Germany, and Austria have a lower voting age and enjoy a higher percentage of voter turnout. Belgium ranks at 93% voter participation, while the U.S. trails behind at just 38% turnout in congressional elections. These facts seem to indicate that a lower voting age has a direct impact on voter participation. However, there is no concrete proof that a lower voting age directly impacts voter turnout. I believe the problem lies deeper than age.
If letting 16-17 year old citizens vote could have change the turnout of voters in this past election, there would have been a difference in choosing who the next president. I know for sure that if the voting age was 16 there would have been more people at the polls then ever. I agree with having the legal voting age to 16 because there are a lot of students at this age that are focusing more on how they could change the fate of their home.
If, as adults, people have the right to serve on juries and make major decisions that can influence a whole nation, then at 18 people should be able to consume alcohol without having to worry about breaking the law. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would encourage people to drink responsibly and it would reduce traffic accidents that are caused by people driving under the influence. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age 21 is proving its ineffectiveness day after day and it is causing people more harm than good.
In my opinion, the current voting age of 18 should be kept. I say this because of many reasons, which are listed in the passage titled "Keep the Voting Age 18." The passage "Lower the Voting Age" contradicts the idea that the age 18 should be kept as the voting age.
Imagine for a moment that senior citizens were denied the right to vote. Imagine senior citizens being thought of as too incompetent to vote because some senior citizens are senile. Can you imagine such a large percentage of the American public being denied the right to vote – simply on account of their age? It cannot happen in America, right? Not in a free country, a country where the people control the government, not the other way around? It can happen. It does happen. Only, it does not happen to senior citizens – once they get the right to vote they keep it for life. It happens to young people – people below eighteen years of age. Youth are denied the right to vote solely on account of their age.
When lowering the drinking the age to 18, there will be less tragic accidents in the United States in my opinion. Drinking age has been a huge talked topic in the United States for many years. There have been many opinions thrown out there, for example, some want to lower the drinking age and some want to raise it. Lowering the drinking age would be a great and permanent solution.
I think lowering the voting age to 16 will help teenagers feel more free. A lot of people want the voting age to be lowered because if 16 year old’s can drive, can join military forces, and have to pay taxes then they should be able to vote. Also the National Youth Rights Association said, “ Youth
In conclusion, Australia is among the highest in the world to oppose the voting age being lowered, currently at 90%. Lowering the voting age is not a good idea as 16 and 17-year-olds lack political knowledge and engagement, are highly influenced by those around them and allowing them to vote would be very inconsistent. As a well-known saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix
Mr Tully said that “we must get our young involved at an early age”. Ed Miliband announced three years ago that Labour was in favour of lowering the Voting age. So are the Liberal Democrats, which included votes for 13 years old in their 2010 manifesto,but the conservative Party has historically been opposed.
I feel as though the government needs to allow teenagers to vote on how things affect their lives. If the government lowers the voting age to 18 more important issues will come out about high school violence, and other important issues.
People who are against the idea may say: "Why should we lower the voting age? Kids these days don't care about voting." While this may be true to some degree, there are plenty of young people out there who are interested in politics. Back when I was in my school days, I had plenty of classmates who were like that. Don't be fooled, and think to yourself: "Oh, he's just another dumb kid." Just because he or she is a kid doesn't mean they can't be interested in something as serious as politics.