16 year olds allowed to vote?

[HBK-aholic]

Watching a 'documentary' about this at the moment. Generally, it's people my age who believe this should happen. But when I think about it, a mental image of all the 16 and 17 year olds I know flashes up. There are many of them that I'd be quite scared to allow to have the vote. Not so much friends of mine, but people I know in High School and college. It wouldn't be mature 16 year olds allowed to vote, it'd be all of them, and that's scary. There's also very few people who know enough about politics to be able to make an informed decision. I'm 17, and even if I had the choice at the moment I wouldn't vote.

On the other hand, you could apply that to all ages - I know 18 year olds who aren't mature enough, and know nothing about the political system. 16 year olds pay tax when they work, which goes to the government. If that's the case, shouldn't they get a chance to say how their money is being spent?

Regardless, however, it's my opinion this wouldn't be a good idea. There's quite a good age range of Cigar Lounge posters, so what do you all think?

 

[X]

Absolutely not. As you brought up, there are far too many immature people at that age. If you aren't mature enough to be able to have a beer, how the hell are you mature enough to vote for the leader of your country? I can just imagine the idiots flocking to the polls to vote for whatever candidate is the cutest.

Everyone else had to wait 18 years, I see no reason why future generations shouldn't. It's really not a very long time to wait, though it feels like it at the time.

 

[Dexter]

There's multiple standards to this that I've never really liked.

You can be old enough to be drafted into the armed services (18) but not old enough to drink a beer (21). You can be old enough to own and operate a motor vehicle and be responsible for the property taxes on that vehicle (16) but not old enough to vote on how much those property taxes should cost (18). You can be old enough to be tried as an adult and sentenced to spend the rest of your life in prison (as young as 13 or 14) but not old enough to have... well... done anything at all, really.

I think it's clear that there needs to be some kind of standardization here. Either 16 or 18 would be my suggestion. And that counts for everything... tobacco and alcohol sales, voting, driving, military service, trial status... everything.

 

[Dave]

I'm not sure it would be a good idea Becca.

I'll tell you why. Just like you, I went through school knowing a lot of people who were not mature enough to tie their own shoelaces, much less the future of a country. People who are around 16 years old do not have a clue about what any of the political parties do or want for the country and none of them are willing to do the leg-work to find out. I think if they were allowed to vote, it would become a joke to them.

No, I think that 18 is a good age to vote at and to be quite honest, I would raise it to 21 if I could. I study politics and I don't even know what some fo the parties want for the country. A lot of people mature over the 16-18 year gap and it allows them to realize that what they do and vote for is a big deal. I am not saying that you couldn't be trusted to vote but most people of that age cannot be. It's a shame because people do not realise what kind of toll they are having on the country when they vote and if they did this would not be an issue.

For me, I think that it should remain the way it is because who is to say that you could vote and another person your age cannot? It has to be one rule for everyone and that means that they probably will not be allowed to vote at any point in the near future. Plus, it is only two years and a general election comes every four. In my opinion, it is better if they do not vote.

 

[Ty Burna]

I know this discussion is aimed at the UK teenage voters, but I'll just go ahead and apply to to the US voting system as well here. I don't think it should happen, though certainly some 16 or 17 year olds could be mature enough and know about politics to make a rational choice, but I'll give you an example why it wouldn't work.

Most teenagers simply don't care about politics at that age. Let's take my senior year in high school 2004-2005, which coincidentally coincided with the presidential election that year. I was also in my US Government class that year so we covered quite a bit about the election. Well truth be told, at that point my life I was a hardcore/punk/metalhead to the core, and was extremely liberal, and I am to this day, and hated Bush with an absolute passion. But I was also very interested in politics, and kept up to date on the issues and what each candidate was standing for. However I was 17 years old, and wouldn't turn 18 until after I graduated high school, so I wouldn't be able to vote.

So one day a reporter for the local newspaper comes in to ask us about the election. Now most of my classmates said they were going to vote Bush because their parents were going to. That was their reasoning, they had no other opinions on the matter otherwise. Meanwhile I gave a pretty lengthy answer and actually most of the article was on what I was saying.

With that example out of the way, I think it goes to show that most teenagers don't care about politics, because it really doesn't affect them nearly as much as people out of High School and trying to make a living in the world. What goes on in the political world affect me now far more than it ever did in high school, and that can change your opinions that you may have had when you were younger. Thus I believe the law that you must be 18 to vote is valid, as it will give most people a chance to be in the real world and be able to make a choice based on their experiences, rather than childish thoughts and easily influenced opinions.

 

[Baller]

I'm sorry but this should never happen. Speaking for the majority of US teens, most of them do not care about politics and dont even watch the news. They dont know about half of the new amendments and dont know about the races that arent for President. If you let 16 year olds your just going to get who is the more popular man not the best man because these kids dont no that much about politics and will just vote to say they voted.

 

[Dexter]

Just a counterpoint to what you guys are saying about teenagers not caring about politics. I agree with you completely, but it's also important to point out that most adults don't either. Just look at voter turnout numbers.

Unfortunately, you can't require a certain level of interest or knowledge of the issues to be allowed to vote, for any age group.

 

[ShockTheMonkey223]

If we're talking about the US political system, then they might as well since voting doesn't matter anyway. Plus, do you know how many minorities registered to vote in the last election? If you think 90% of those people know more about politics than your average 16 year old, you're kidding yourself. And no, I'm not saying they're stupid because of their race, I'm saying they simply voted because there was a minority candidate, it didn't matter who it was or what he/she represented. How many registered voters do you think really base their choice on an informed opinion? A 16 year old is just as qualified to vote for someone because P Diddy said to as a middle aged housewife is to vote for someone because Oprah said to.

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

I feel that I had formed my own opinion on the candidates for Presidency this year, followed the thing well enough and studies their views thoroughly enough that I could have cast a good vote. However, I'm an anomaly. Hardly anyone that I know from school knew anything more than Democrat vs Republic. Being from a Christian school, it was heavily anti-Obama and pro-McCain. I asked some classmates why they felt this way, and only one was able to back their opinion fully. I simply don't feel that the vast majority of people my age (16) are either mature enough to vote, or simply are not interested.

 

[Tastycles]

Noooooo. I used to think it, when I was under 18. In all honesty I was intelligent enough and had a well enough formed opinion to vote when I was 14 probably. However, I am most definitely in the minority and hardly anyone aat that age has a serious understanding of politics. You'd certainly see a rise in votes for bullshit like the Communists and BNP, because the opinions of people who still live at home and haven't learnt the compromise, are generally speaking very radical.

I am already of the opinion that in order to vote you should display some sort of understanding of the political process, and this would just add more idiots who don't ahve such an understanding. For example, anyone who says "well, Gordon Brown shouldn't be Prime Minister because he never stood for election" should be banned from voting until they understand what voting actually means.

 

[jokeboy624]

Each of the set age limits are set at that age for a reason. This ages weren't chosen by drawing them out of a hat. The drinking age was set at 21 for two reasons: 1) to allow people to mature that much more and 2) the brain is still developing until right around the age of 21, clearly it doesn't stop exactly on your 21st birthday, it just slows around that time. And speaking with my cousin in the military, he told me that any military personal on a military base can drink when not on duty despite his age. This may not be the law, but it is allowed. So I don't feel standardization is actually a great idea.

For the subject at hand, looking back over ten years to when I was 16 it's AMAZING how much I've matured. If I've learned anything, it's that you mature more over the period of 16-21 than any other time in your life. This allows you to mature that much more over that period. Plus, there has to be a cut-off at some point, you obviously can't have 7 year old kiddies in the sandbox voting, so why not set it at 18 when you have that much more life experience.

 

[Dexter]

The drinking age was set at 21 for two reasons: 1) to allow people to mature that much more and 2) the brain is still developing until right around the age of 21, clearly it doesn't stop exactly on your 21st birthday, it just slows around that time.

The drinking age in the US is 21. That is very nearly the highest age requirement on the planet. In the vast majority of the rest of the world it's either 18 or 16. In some countries, there's not even an age requirement.

So, your point about maturity and brain development would make perfect sense if the US had the lowest rates of alcoholism and alcohol related injuries and deaths, and had the most fully developed brains in the world, with the exception of Libya and India whose legal drinking ages are 22 and 25 (in some areas), respectively. And of course several middle eastern countries where alcohol is strictly forbidden.

Failing that, I'd say the rest of the world is getting by just fine with lower drinking age requirements.

 

[RVDgurl]

I think it's great that there are teenager who care enough to want to vote. Hell, I'm 30 years old and have very little interest in politics- I wish I was more involved in them. However, I don't think that a 16 year old should be allowed to vote. In fact, I think the age of 18 is still too young. In the US, people can't make a legal decision on what beer to order until they're 21, yet they can make a decision as to who will run our country next. It never really made any sense to me. You will have people of all ages who are immature, but as a general rule, teenagers are not mature enough to be given such a hige responsibility.

 

[jokeboy624]

Very true, but drugs and alcohol are believed to stop the development of the brain. The US government clearly feels that it's youth doesn't need anymore disadvantages when it comes to brain development and I tend to agree with them on this.

However, I'm willing to bet without having done the proper research at this point, that a majority of those countries with lower drinking ages have far superior alcohol education and awareness compared to the US. Looking into the rates of alcoholism, it looks that generally speaking, 5% of the population in the US and Germany suffer from alcoholism. Canada also had a 5% alcoholism rate. They all have a different drinking age, so alcoholism is of little relevance.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Moderator Note

This thread is to discuss the legal voting age. If you want to discuss alcohol or any other legal issues, please make a separate thread. Any more off-topic posts will be deleted and possibly infracted.

Thank you
​

 

[RageBattle]

I would say the teenagers need those extra few years to experience the world as adults do, and by the time they can vote, they are ready to make a decision that would be beneficial not just for themselves, but for the country as a whole.

Too many times did my friends and I vote in mock elections just for what would be good for us. In sense of taxes etc. I think it's great that people want to vote, but at the same time they need to realize how important it is.

 

[Baller]

The voting at age 16 is still too young know matter what. I still believe 18 is too young due to the fact that these kids are just starting college, and they have other interest in life still. Personally I think 21 is the right age, as these kids have their majors and are near their end of college. At 21 they are mature and start to gain interest in our country istead of just having fun and partying 24/7

 

[Mr. TM]

Here is my perspective on this. Young people should vote. By young people, I mean 18-22 year olds. But they do not. Only something like 22% in Canada actually do. So I look at it this way. Those 22% are the people who actually WANT to vote. 18 year olds and 16 year olds are very similar now. So lets say. Open the polls up for 16 year olds. I estimate 15% will vote. But those 15% are likely going to be people with a great grasp on elections, and the candidates. 16 should be the limit. Parents no longer have as much control over the kid, and the kid can make an informed choice. I know I wanted to vote at 16. other 16 year olds do as well.

 

[Mr. Steve]

In PR, you can vote at age 18. When I was in grade 10, you could've gotten the license to vote if you were born in '89. Apparently, after that the law changed so it would've been 18+ like it is now.

And in the end, it's all a matter of knowing who to vote for, no matter the age. It's true that older people have a better sense of who will be the proper person/group to lead the country, but there are peopel out there that are more mature than their age.

Again, it's all a matter of the person knowing who they're voting for and a sense of "who can lead the country the best this term?"

Sadly, that won't happen at all here, since this island's politics are just based on colors, not by people.

 

[Sasori]

Well I'm 17, so I say yes!
But I also think you gotta be mature enough to vote. You can't just let some random pot-head douche who will screw around with girls and get them pregnant have the right to vote, 'coz they probably wont take it seriously. So why not have a test of maturity or something? It could work, it might not, just sayin'.

 

[X]

Well I'm 17, so I say yes!
But I also think you gotta be mature enough to vote. You can't just let some random pot-head douche who will screw around with girls and get them pregnant have the right to vote

Why not? Plenty of older pothead douche ****es vote. There isn't a morality test you have to pass in order to vote. Anyone and everyone can vote.

'coz they probably wont take it seriously. So why not have a test of maturity or something? It could work, it might not, just sayin'.

How's that going to work? A "maturity test"? What are they going to quiz you before you enter the poll? That would never work.

I see no reason why the law should be changed honestly. Are 16 year olds intelligent enough to vote? Sure, why not. Doesn't mean they should be allowed to. Turning 18 is a rite of passage in large part because you're allowed to vote. There really aren't any positives to outweigh the negatives in this scenario.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

No way in hell.

While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, where there are 16/17 year olds that are very mature and could theoretically skip the necessary waiting period in order to cast their vote (just as there are 18+ people that shouldn't be trusted with a spork) there are FAR too many immature ones that will negate the purpose.

Really, how many people are justified in voting for political issues? The average person, overall, has no clue about 90% of politics. Even an educated person that is not related to the political field is in the dark. Hell, politicians are in the dark about tons of issues. So if you think about it, a lot of people that vote aren't qualified to make the judgment. Even more so, though, teenagers aren't due to their limited experience on top of it. I doubt your average 16 year old is going to want to take a bunch of time out of their schedule to research the reality of what politicians are saying as opposed to just listening to smear campaigns and lies and base their votes off that. They're more concerned with popularity contests based off who is more attractive and which person has a car the fastest and so forth. High school voting is tough enough for those kids, let alone things that actually matter haha.

 

[Batistabomb10]

I too am 17, and like Becca, I know people who are not mature enough or knowledgeable enough about politics and the political system to make decisions that would be wise, informed, or reasoned/justified. Also, those same people would not, in my opinion, do the research that is essential to making a responsible decision! I personally love politics, and find the process to be quite fascinating/intriguing. However, there are some people, whom I both know personally and do not, that I would not like knowing had control over who lead our nation.

As far as the money that 16-year olds have to pay in taxes, I say that's just a perk of being an American and living in the United States. You should enjoy the opportunity to even be able to get a job, and be paid fairly and equally for it. Countries like China and other places have sweatshop workers who's employees work longer hours, in harsher conditions, with little to no pay at all. Those sixteen year olds will get their chance to have their say, but not until they turn legal age, which in my opinion, should stay 18.