Writer - Lily Monigold
The legal voting age in the United States has been 18 since 1971. It was changed from 21 to 18 by the 26th Amendment when 18-year-olds fought in the Vietnam War. They said that since they fought for the country, then they should be able to vote for the country. Many argue that the age of 18 for voting age should also be lowered. However, there are two sides to the argument, like any argument, as to why this should happen or not. There was even a proposed amendment in 2019 that was rejected by the House of Representatives to lower the voting age to 16. There are other countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Scotland that already have the voting age at 16. So the question is: should the voting age be lowered? NO: Many say no to this question, and have multiple points to back that up. Possibly the biggest point is that someone at the age of 16 or 17 just isn’t as mature as an 18-year-old. The brain doesn’t fully develop until the age of 25, and while 18 doesn’t reach that either, it is definitely closer than 16. Also, 18 is when you become an adult and enter into the world of the many adult responsibilities. While teens younger than 18 share some of the same responsibilities as adults, there are some that are just limited to those 18 and older. These include having a full-time job, applying for a credit card, participating in jury duty, and being held responsible for your own depts. To continue, most 16 and 17-year-olds are still living with their parents, and parents hold a large influence over teens. At 18, you may be able to think for yourself more and form some of your own opinions. Also, once you are 18 you simply have more education. You have either completed high school or have almost completed high school by then. A lot of schools, including Le Roy, have a government class that can teach you a lot of the basic information you need to know in order to be a well-informed voter. 16 and 17-year-olds possibly haven’t taken or completed this class yet. Since the brain isn’t fully developed at this age, it can be easier to be influenced into voting for someone else by your parents, friends, or social media. While voting is a right, it is also a responsibility; a responsibility that should be taken seriously. YES: There are a lot of points as to why the voting age shouldn’t be lowered any, but there are also a lot of very valid points as to why it should be lowered. There are already multiple countries other than the U.S. that has the voting age lowered to 16. A few cities in the U.S. allow teens to vote in local elections now. In November, there was a vote in San Francisco to lower the age to 16; it was extremely close, but didn’t pass. The reason behind these countries and cities lowering the age to 16 include that many 16-year-olds can drive and have a part-time job. When you have a part-time job, you have to pay taxes. Elections have an affect on taxes. Voting at a younger age encourages teens to become more interested in learning about issues that directly affect them and their communities. Similarly, Laurence Steinburg, New York Times psychology expert, says "adolescents can gather and process information, weigh pros and cons, reason logically with facts and take time before making a decision." While the brain might not be fully developed yet, the cold cognitive part of the brain is to said to already be fully developed by 16. This is the part of the brain that can make rational decisions when given time to process information. It is the hot cognitive part of the brain, or the part that makes rational decisions in stressful situations or last minute, that has not been fully developed yet. Voting is a habit, and when you start earlier in life it encourages the continuance of voting throughout your life. Young voices should be heard in the many decisions that directly affect them and their lives personally. There is a reason why there is such a debate behind voting age. Both sides of the argument have extremely valid points, making it a very hard decision to make. This is something that directly affects teens, especially those in high school, right now. Efforts have been made to try to lower voting age already in parts of the U.S., so the idea of it happening soon is not out of reach. There is no right or wrong answer to this, which is what makes it such a large debate. How do teens feel about this matter, who are the ones that are directly affected by it? Why do you believe the voting age should/shouldn't be lowered?
Sources https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/election/civics-in-action/voting--should-the-voting-age-be-lowered.html https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/voting-age-debate/ https://ballotpedia.org/San_Francisco,_California,_Proposition_G,_Local_Election_Voting_Age_Charter_Amendment_(November_2020) https://www.bustle.com/p/8-pros-cons-of-lowering-the-voting-age-to-16-like-washington-dc-is-considering-8823839
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