In 2012 43% of America voted in the presidential election voted, and only 68% of voters that were registered ended up voting at the polls. Out of these numbers 18-21 year olds voted the least, and senior citizens voted nearly twice of the rate of that age group.
The reason for this is that studies show that "eighteen-year-olds, it turns out, “are not a very good first voting age group,” Rob Richie (president, national voting organization FairVote) said, “Because many of them are in the midst of leaving their childhood homes. As you get more disrupted in your life, the less likely you are to vote.” “There’s also a simple practical reason for extending the franchise, at least if we care about eventually having high levels of participation.” Says John Bernstein writing for the American prospect suggesting that if 16 year olds were to vote, they would be more likely to vote in the future. Most importantly, studies show that voters, who start younger, are more likely to continue to vote later, and the ones who don’t aren’t. Since 16 year olds are shown to have more stable lives, this would expand the voter turnout.
In Takoma Park, Maryland, the local voting age was changed to 16 for local elections in 2013, becoming the first city in the US to do so. “Ever since the 26th Amendment gave 18-year-olds the right to vote more than 40 years ago, younger voters have been something of a bust. They typically go to the polls in much smaller numbers than their elders. In 2011, a meager 19 percent of eligible voters showed up at the polls, a voting official said, according to a Washington Post article. However, this was different with 16 year olds. Nearly Close to 42% of registered city residents under 18 cast ballots, which is nearly four tim...
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...ed to vote.
These examples I have portrayed demonstrate that many years, we have conferred far-reaching rights on young Americans, comparable in substance and the responsibility to the right to vote. Can we really continue the belief that it is fair to grant them all these rights, and yet withhold the right that matters most, the right to participate in choosing the government under which they live?
I believe that the risk is extremely small. The nation as a whole would be presented with substantial benefits by granting young Americans of 16 and 17 a meaningful voice in shaping their future within the established framework of our democracy.
The right to vote is the fundamental right in our Constitution. It is the foundation to all our other basic rights, and I believe that 16 year olds have the right to be a part of it.
For these reasons I encourage a pro ballot.
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
It’s very unsettling to know that there was a six percent decrease in young voters (ages 18-29) in the 2012 election compared to 2008 (Circle Youth data). In 2007 the National Conference of State Legislatures publicly released a report and data set on voter turnout in democratic countries. This is a quote from that report titled Getting out the Vote, “It should be noted that in 1972, 18-year-olds were added to the eligible voting population, thus decreasing the percentages. Nonetheless, voter tu...
Though perhaps not as powerful as adults when it comes to the federal government, students are equally important. They are affected just as much by the activities of their superiors as are any other minority in America. Government class can be beneficial in educating minors about how their government relates to them and how they can influence their authority. By speaking out and making themselves heard, minors can be just as effective in their efforts to modify the government to fit their needs. In a democracy, the most important voice is the voice of the people. Age should not be a defining factor in how significant a group or an individual's views are. If America cannot cater to the will of a relatively large percentage of its citizens, how can it call itself a true democracy?
In Carrie Kirby's article "Why Students Want to Lower the Voting Age" published in the October 7th, 2015 edition of The Atlantic, Kirby looks into the arguments being made by student activists in San Francisco who are trying to lower the voting age to 16. She begins by mentioning Oliver York, a 16-year old who has an answer to practically any question one could raise about allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote. York argues that this case is similar to those which occurred in the early 1900s in the fight for women's suffrage, any how many had dismissed the thought because they would "just vote the way [their] husbands would vote." Jillian Wu, another 16-year old, points out that 44% of Scottish teens voted differently than their parents during
Today in America, less than half of young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 vote (TheBestColleges.org). What most of these new adults fail to realize, is that their government depends on them to vote and elect new leaders to represent their country. Many of them make excuses to avoid voting, when really, they benefit most from voting.
Voting participation is one of the most common controversies in today’s society. Thom File of the Young Adult Voting: An Analysis of Presidential Elections, 1964-2012 states that, “Voting rates, which represent the number of voters relative to a given population or subpopulation, have varied across recent election cycles with the general outcome being that voting rates increase with age. In every presidential election since 1964, young voters between the ages of 18 through 24 have consis-tently voted at lower rates than all other age groups, although young-adult voting rates have fluctuated from one election to another (Young Adult Voting: An Analysis of Presidential Elections,
Green, Donald. "Youth Voting” THE CENTER FOR INFORMATION & RESEARCH ON CIVIC LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT. Tufts University, 2012. Web. 02 Oct 2013. .
Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities a citizen has. Throughout American history, people have fought to gain the right to vote. These people understood that voting gives citizens the power to influence the decisions of their leaders. This is a priceless power. However, many people are not exercising their right to vote. Today, more and more voters are staying home and staying silent on Election Day.
Many people think of the 206 million eligible voters in the United States and think, “How could one vote possibly make a difference?” Or perhaps some find themselves too busy, while other non-voters are simply uninterested in politics. With a combination of all excuses, about 75 million people that were eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential election chose not to. That’s 75 million unheard voices! 75 million unrepresented individuals make up approximately 36% of all eligible voters. That number of people could easily change the outcome of an election. When put in perspective and fully understood, it’s realized just how important it is for every eligible voter to vote, and do so responsibly. The significance of voting is commonly misunderstood. Voting determines things from the president of the United States, to a small town mayor, to representatives, which all in turn determine everything from war, to taxes, to a child’s education. This country was politically formed into something previously unknown to the world, and with citizenship to this great country and democracy, comes great responsibility. It is a right as U.S. citizens to choose to vote or not; however, it is a duty and obligation to do so, for the sake of those who have fought, for friends and family, and for this country as a whole.
Does Voting Really Matter? Today, many people don’t understand the importance of voting in the presidential elections- or even other meaningful elections related to public officials or issues. Millennials and Generation Z are the future of the world’s economy and politics. Many of these people from the younger generations are failing to vote on valuable issues because they believe that their vote doesn’t really matter.
The president is in charged of the government, they have to do whatever he said if not they will be in big trouble, so if he saids he wants them to start a war they will start a war, no matter how stooped a president would be if he said that.
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.
1.The first time these women voted because “learn to vote” was written on the table. The time of this photo was taken was shortly after the woman was allowed to vote. This also shows that at the time, there were not many women participating in the voting in the United States. If they have participated in the vote before, they will not learn to vote here.
In contemporary society, people are less aware and inquisitive of the world they live in. Within our nation, people are oblivious to the hardships other nations face and the effects of those hardships on our nation. In response to this, some have argued that voting should be a privilege earned through serving the country for twenty-four months. Although voting is a privilege that should be earned, confining voting to only those who serve would infringe people’s unalienable voting right and would lead to an unfair disadvantage to a proportion of the population.
Around 40 percent (almost 93 million) of American eligible voters didn’t vote in 2016. Imagine how everyone who has ever fought for the right to vote would react upon witnessing those numbers. Although it is a right, doesn’t mean that it is mandatory. Voting has always been something that people have held to be of importance. I believe that voting can only solve so many problems that we face.