Voting Age

Voting Age

The voting age should not be lowered because teenagers have not fully matured and there is no proven benefit of gaining teenage voters.

Government officials have considered lowering the voting age to sixteen from its current standard of eighteen. This would not be a wise decision because people under the age of eighteen are referred to as children for a reason. The reason is that they have clearly not completed cognitive development. In humans, a muscle located at the front of the brain, called the frontal lobe, is responsible for the reasoning skills and maturity of one’s self. This muscle is not fully advanced until the age of twenty-one. “In calm situations, teenagers can rationalize almost as well as adults. But stress can hijack what physicians call, "hot cognition" and decision-making. The frontal lobes help put the brakes on a desire for thrills and taking risk -- a building block of adolescence; but, they're also one of the last areas of the brain to develop fully”. (Source A). This statement notifies that there is no shame in the lacking understanding of a teenage brain, but that they should be given the full extent of time to mature before being handed such responsibilities as voting. Research has indicated that throughout its lifetime, the human brain undergoes changes. “You may have noticed a paradox that exists among students today. Although there are exceptions to the rule, this generation of kids is advanced intellectually, but behind emotionally. They are missing many of the marks of maturity they should possess”. (Source B). Teens also normally remain in a more insecure phase, that they eventually grow out of. However, before progressing from this phase, teens are easily swayed by their pee...

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...oral science”, (Source C). Their punishment differ from those of adults as well because people view adolescents as too young and naive to be held to the full responsibility of their own actions. “This is where the usefulness of the science reaches its limit. For all the recent insights into the adolescent brain—and adolescents as a class—very little can be extrapolated from the science to illuminate individual behavior.” (Source D). Why would they be allowed to contribute to decisions that affect the lives of others, when they are not allowed to have control over their own life?

In conclusion, the voting age should not be lowered to suffice children voters because it would be irresponsible to put matters into the hands of those who don’t fully understand the effects of voting and there has yet to be factual results of what is to gain from this change.