Should We Lower The Voting Age?

By ANNA HAMBLET ‘22

Almost every time I talk to an adult about some sort of political issue, the conversation ends with a heavy sigh and a “your generation is going to have to fix this.” That statement makes sense; our generation is already politically active, and involved in movements such as the drive to tighten gun control laws and the movement for legislative action against climate change. However, the national voting age of 18 would suggest that we have to wait a few more years to start fixing the many problems that our generation has grown up with. Teens have found ways to be involved, but we lack the most basic way of being represented in government. The prevalence of teen activists has led to many efforts to lower the voting age to 16 on the town, state, and even national level.

According to worldatlas.com, 9 countries have set the voting age at 16, but the US is not one of them, despite some effort to change this. According to the New York Times, the first place in the US to give 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote in municipal elections was Takoma Park, Maryland, in 2013. Last year, newly-elected congresswoman Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts proposed a bill to lower the national voting age to 16. The house voted against the bill last March, with a final tally of 126 to 305. Only 1 Republican voted for the bill. Most republicans argued that lowering the voting age to 16 is a ploy to elect more democrats, since studies have shown that teens are more progressive and left-leaning than older generations. But I fail to see the justice in blocking people from voting based on a fear of losing elections.

However, aside from political power plays, there are other arguments against lowering the voting age. Many believe that teens aren’t involved in politics enough to make informed decisions, but as we’ve seen from various youth-led strikes in the past few years, this is a broad and inaccurate generalization. People also think that teens will essentially become an extra vote for their parents, but this assumption is based on the unfounded idea that teens as old as 16 can’t think or form opinions for themselves. Just 100 years ago, people said that if women were given the right to vote, it would just amount to an extra vote for their husbands. While teens used to primarily get news from their parents, they now have constant access to the news from social media. According to communitylaw.org, 16 year olds in the United States are old enough to drive, give consent to have sex, get married, drop out of school, donate blood, live alone, and work full time, but surprisingly, voting, a way to exercise civic duty and become involved in politics, is restricted. Adults seem very happy about youth involvement in politics when teens are protesting, but this sentiment is not reflected when we want to actually cast a vote for our future, considering that 85% of adults oppose letting 16 year olds vote, according to a poll by The Hill.

However, contrary to what the proposal’s unpopularity suggests, lowering the voting age has many arguments in favor of it. The strongest argument for the proposal is that teens are more connected and politically knowledgeable than ever, due to the rise of social media. Teens can find information posted on social media about any given problem, protest, or news event with more ease than ever. Additionally, many of these movements are organized by teens, with recent examples being Greta Thunberg’s climate protests and the student organizers of the “March for Our Lives” movement. Also, as I keep hearing, we will be left to fix whatever problems arise, and we’re running out of time. According to the UN, we only have 11 years left before damage from climate change becomes irreversible. And yet, many of the millions of teens involved in September’s climate action protests, including me, won’t be able to vote until we have 8 or fewer years left.

The presidential election is approaching, an event that’s outcome will shape my adulthood, and yet I won’t be represented. Yes, I can and will campaign for my candidate of choice, but when it comes down to it, I won’t have a say in the future of my country. I have watched multiple debates, read the news every morning, and keep myself well-informed on the candidates, while adults who throw away their vote to write-in “Harambe” on the ballot will have more of a voice than I will. But such is democracy. To all the adults saying that teens should be more involved, and that this country is their future, there is a very simple way to involve us. Of course, there are 16 and 17 year olds who will make bad decisions and cast their votes unintelligently, but many adults also exhibit this behavior. These are the realities of the voting system that we must become accustomed to, but it seems only fair to extend that democracy to those who will inherit the country and any baggage that comes with it.

Mark PangNovember 9, 2019