...Voting Age In 1870 the fifteenth amendment was passed granting suffrage to men of color. Fifty years later the nineteenth amendment was passed granting suffrage to women, and another fifty years after that the twenty sixth amendment gave eighteen year olds right to vote. All of these amendments were steps toward ending discriminating, but the United States has one last step. If the America is going to truly provide equal representation for all people then it ought to grant suffrage to those of age 16 and up. Before proposing that the voting age should be lowered it is necessary to examine the arguments of those opposed. Those opposed to lowering the voting age make three main arguments. The first being that teens under the age of 18 lack the maturity and brain development to make an informed decisions for themselves. The second argument contends that voter turnout among young people is already dismal and lowering the voting age would have negligible effects. The last argument claims that there is no valid reason...
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...“A teenage brain is not just an adult brain with fewer miles on it (Jensen 1).” According to Neurologist Frances E. Jensen, teens are not mentally developed, thus it can make them incapable of making crucial decisions. When it comes to voting, teens cannot always be trusted with America’s fate. Since many teens are not interested in the world of politics, they are improbable to be concern of what is happening. At the age of 16 and 17, teens are not able to make crucial decisions yet, therefore, how are they going to be able to make the right decision for the nation? Despite the reasons for lowering the voting age to 16, lowering the voting age to 16 is a catastrophic mistake because teenagers are easily swayed, are immature, and are irresponsible. The fact of the matter is that teens are easily swayed, which makes lowering the voting age to 16 unacceptable. “This leaves teens easily influenced by their environment and more prone to impulsive behavior, even without the impact of souped-up hormones and any genetic or family predisposition (Ruder 1).” According to Harvard Magazine, teens are likely to be swayed by influences such as school, friends,...
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...That's about it, wouldn’t it be interesting if teenagers were allowed to vote at 16! States determine at what age their voters can vote at. Lowering the voting age to 16 from 18 can be very beneficial in different ways. They can be the voice of their parents, if they are unable to vote. Peer pressure is already common in high school, if all the popular students are registering to vote, other student will want to vote. If teenagers start voting as soon as they can, it will turn into a habit that will continue for future elections. Students at this age are already learning about the government, so why not make help make a difference in their local or federal government when they turn 16 years old. What about teenagers who are not from politically active families, since ‘others predicted that the 16- and 17 year-olds most likely to vote from politically active homes,” (Shin) will definitely participate in voting during the elections? Undocumented parents don’t have much of voice when it comes to voting, by lowering the voting age limit, their children will get a...
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...the voting age changed, people who wouldn’t be in power will probably will make it to power. The voting age of 18 should not be changed to 16. People at age 16 have no political interest most of the time. They wouldn’t vote anyway due to the lack of knowledge. The percentage of voters then will decrease even more due to a larger voting population, but the same amount of voters. This means voting will not change, so there is no point of changing it. Another problem may arise of the younger ones is that they only vote to vote. Due to lack of knowledge of politics, most of the younger people won’t have a preferred candidate. They still might vote, though, just because they can. This might cause the wrong...
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...examine the situation and surrounding events in depth to discover a better way of doing things. One such ethical dilemma is the legal age to vote in elections. The Constitution The twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees every American “the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age” (The National Constitution Center, n.d.). In America the legal adult age is considered 18 years. As an adult, an 18 year old will pay taxes on income he or she has earned. They pay sales tax on items they have purchased. They are old enough to drive a car and to join the military. These are the arguments many have given in favor of lowering the voter legal age form 18 years to 16 years, but there is another side to the story – one of opposition to lowering the age and in favor of returning the legal age to voting rights to 21 years of age as originally set forth by the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution was adopted in 1789, at which time voting was reserved for male property owners ages 21 and older. The Fifteenth Amendment, passed in 1870 gave voting rights to all males over the age of 21, while the 19th Amendment finally extended voting rights to women. In 1971 the legal voting age was dropped to 18 by the ratification of the 26th Amendment, which was adopted in reply to protests from students in opposition of the...
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...chronologically challenged decision makers”(Bryne). Voting age and privileges have changed many times in the past and now is the time to change it again. Putting a cap would help let younger people decide their own future. Younger adults deserve to have a say on what they want because not everyone else takes into consideration to younger kids. Voting age should be changed to a younger age such as 16 and/or have an age limit of around 87 in the United States. Even though voting age has changed in the past, we have not really taken a look into putting a cap of around 87, also young adults are very much part of the community and they deserve a say. Voting age/privilege has changed a lot in...
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...Voting Age Matthew Clayton states in an article that “...Having the right to vote is widely recognized as one of the most important legal rights within a democracy.” (Wing and Clayton 534) With suffrage being an imperative democratic right, the questions of whether there should be a minimum voting age and if so, what age that should be set have quickly become central political issues. In 1971, the United States ratified the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, eliminating the age standard of twenty-one and granting eighteen year olds the right to vote. This was due to the realization of the double standard that eighteen year olds were old enough to be sent to fight for their country, but not old enough to vote for the people who represented it. A similar situation is occurring today, as American citizens under the age of eighteen pay taxes, drive cars, abide by the laws, are affected by the decisions of politicians, etc., but are denied the right to vote. These citizens are perfectly capable of making informed decisions and fulfilling the duties of a registered voter. Being affected by political decisions just as much as someone over the age of eighteen, citizens as young as the age of sixteen should be granted the right to vote. (Wing and Clayton 536) At the youthful age of sixteen, one can accomplish much more than they could at a prior time in their life. In most states, a sixteen year old can become emancipated from their parents, obtain a work permit, hold a job, choose...
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...Absurd to vote as a 16 years old teenager, or is it? ”It’s a bizarre way to reinvigorate democracy” It’s under consideration in Scotland to lower the voting age to 16 years. But I wonder if it's too early? It can be discussed to a great extent, whether it would be positive or negative - but it's definitely a move in the right direction, at least to the youngsters. That’s what Philip Cowley, University of Nottingham, says about the thoughts of lowering the voting age. I simply believe that lowering the voting-age would gain more political insight and thoughts – but what for? Is it perhaps a bit too early? Has a 16-17 year old gained enough political experience and insight? That’s hard to say in general terms, but I definitely think it would be an interesting point of view lowering the voting-age. 16-17 year-old are in the democratic sense, just as mature as a 90-year-old, and maturity has never been a criterion for granting the right to vote. When young people are 16-17 years old, they have, usually, completed the compulsory education that society offers them. They have been taught history, social studies, English and other subjects, which enables them to act as responsible citizens. The 16-17 year olds constitutes only a small percentage of the population, which would mean that their votes won’t have the biggest impact on the election results. In contrast, the youngsters would maybe feel more valued by the state - influence creates credibility and appreciation -...
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...I believe that the current voting age of eighteen should be kept. I believe in this because usually people younger than eighteen do not really understand politics very well and are easily influenced by others votes. For example, a sixteen year old is usually influenced, politically, by their parents/gaurdians. There is also the posibility that, instead of rising the number of voting participants, lowering the age limit would cause the participant numbers to decrease drastically. Most eighteen year olds are excited when they turn eighteen because they can finally get there drivers license or more importantly be able to move out of their parents houses and start their own families. But the most important reason is because they finally...
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...There has been a recent argument made concerning whether the voting age is sufficient and whether or not it should be lowered to the age of sixteen. Many people believe that the voting age should be unaltered due because of maturity levels and not meeting the educational standards. However, I propose that the voting age should indeed be lowered. One factor affecting my judgment is the fact that many sixteen and seventeen year olds already act similarly to adults, looking at the fact that they pay taxes and drive. Another reason includes the fact that at age sixteen, teenagers are in their prime education period. Furthermore, voting is a way to hook the younger viewers and use their education to get them involved in current events. Because of...
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...elections. Sceptical nations have argued the democratic system in the UK is anything but democratic. Suggested ways to improve this would be to lower the voting age to 16, increase the use of referendums and reform the House of Lords to be an elected chamber. On the one hand, the most important way to improve the democratic framework to the UK would be to increase the use of referendums. Considered to be the rawest form of direct democracy, it allows the electorate to cast their decision as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to what the executive may be asking. Examples of this include the 1975 EU referendum on whether Britain would remain in the EU, resulting in a turnout of 64% and the Scottish Independence referendum of 2014 which has a turnout of around 86%. The increase use of referendums would improve democracy in the UK because it would mean that citizens can directly respond to political concern, raising participation. It also checks on elective dictatorships- ensuring they are accountable to the public. From this, it is evident that increasing the use of referendums would improve democracy as it ensures the accountability of government and raised participation. On the other hand, referendums would have a negative impact on democracy as it would lead to apathy. Increase use of referendums, especially when the only means of voting is by travelling to a polling station or posting, may lead to apathy among the electorate as they become disillusioned with constantly being questioned...
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...Specific Purpose: There should be one age limit on when we are considered adults. I. Introduction A. Attention-getter: “In most of the world including most of the United States, parts of the United Kingdom, India, and China, the legal adult age is 18 and historically was 21.” B. Common ground: We are all on this journey to adulthood and with this weeks’ worth of information I will soon provide for you will answer this question. What age limit will society/government consider us as adults? C. Credibility: Why should we believe you? D. Thesis: What is the main point of this speech? E. Preview: What will we learn from your speech? Transition sentence between Intro and Body: Lead us away from the Intro to the Body: II. Body A. Main Point #1: Financial aid is a “benefit” that can either help or stack up loans for a college student. Due to the fact, not everyone is considered eligible for it, even though based off a system that investigates your parent’s income for your financial need, says you are able to pay for tuition without guidance. How can that be if all the help I am receiving is money from the government I must...
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...independence referendum should set a precedent for any future border poll. This wasn't exactly a surprise - Sinn Fein has long advocated lowering the voting age. Apart from the principled argument put forward by Sinn Fein's Megan Fearon on the BBC's Sunday Politics that such an initiative will help young people connect with their politicians, there's another reason why nationalists might favour votes at 16. The latest statistics produced by the Department of Education in May show that the religious breakdown of Northern Ireland's 300,000 school pupils was 51% Catholic, 37% Protestant with the rest defined either as other Christian, non-Christian or no religion. Whilst in these changing times it's dangerous to assume that someone's religion equates to their politics, it's easy to see why nationalists might draw more heart from these statistics than unionists. Which makes it more of a surprise that the Ulster Unionists have decided to support lowering the voting age. Perhaps the UUP was sensitive to all those commentators who used to stereotype the party as a bunch of grey men in grey suits. But now, whilst DUP politicians like Christopher Stalford and Alastair Ross express their opposition to change, the Ulster Unionist Roy Beggs believes giving 16-year-olds a say would help address the "disconnect between the electorate and what is happening in Stormont". It's not an absolute divide between the two unionist parties, as the North Antrim MP Ian Paisley has made...
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...In the best of my knowledge, to lower the voting age would make the percentage of participation decrease. If so many eightteen year olds are not voting now, how do we think that lowering the age would be anymore affective. The low percentages we have for voting now would greatly decline and we would eventually have no more of age people voting. Instead, I feel that we should be explaining the importance of this issue to the generations to come. To further let them know that to make America great again, the issue lies within the countries youth, not with the current president. Knowledge is the greatest known power in the world. Knowledge brought us to the democracy we have for the Unied States today. Voting is our chance to exercise those freedoms and powers of the people, so why do so many teens refuse to vote? Maybe we're scared to make the wrong decision and have that weight on our shoulders, but i know that without a voice, you are speechless. Everyone with such a big responsibility should take the time to really know what each canidate is promising. We need to explain this to our youth so they understand that this is their country too....
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...If you are between the ages of 18 to 100 years old this message is for you. Although young people are registered to vote they are less like to vote than older people. Accordingly, the Center of Voter and Democracy reports that young people are much less likely to vote than older ones. From 1972 to 2012, citizens 18-29 years old turned out to vote at a rate 15 to 20 points lower than citizens 30 years and older. Women voter turnout has surpassed men’s in every presidential election since 1980. Information that is also interesting is that older women are actually less likely to vote than older men. Having the right to vote is the most important right granted by the constitution. Although explanations from some young people are they do...
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