Applying Ethical Theory to the Age of Electoral Majority

In the 26th amendment it talks about the 18 year olds being able to vote. I believe that is important because soon I will be able to vote for my local leaders and the people who will rule the country. The amendment was ratified in 1971 after years of debate about young men being sent off to war but being unable to vote. During World War II, the draft age had been lowered to 18, but the voting age had stayed the same. Some states, such as Georgia, lowered the

The voting age should be increased to 19 or 21 years of age. Most 18 year olds have just graduated or are still in highschool, so many of them are immature,and lack life experience. In addition, many 18 year olds do not have a plan(s) after high school, so if they can’t make a decision about their future what makes people think that they can make an informed decision about the future of the country. However, there are some states like Ohio that are allowing seventeen year olds to vote in primaries.

In 1971, the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting eighteen-year-olds the right to vote. Before this landmark decision, citizens of the United States “had to be at least 21 years old” in order to cast their vote in an election (National Constitution Center, n.d.). It was the escalation of the Vietnam War that led to this expansion of voting rights. During the Vietnam War, thousands of eighteen-, nineteen-, and twenty-year-old men were drafted into military service.

Imagine a time where teenagers are allowed to vote on important positions or issues that could possibly define our nation’s future. The average teenager may seem responsible, but would they be able to handle the responsibility of deciding our nation’s fate in the world as well as their own. In the article, “ Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history making moment at the polls,” Annys Shin, who writes in depth about the historical event as well as shares valued opinions of those who participated in the making of this event, exclaims that the, “ Montgomery County community [was] the nation’s first to lower the voting age from 18 to 16.” This seems to be a test to determine if the nation should lower the voting age completely. However, this test shows varying results, but majority seem to shed some light on the fact that teenagers simply should not take part in voting. The average teenagers seem too young to be mature about issues, are uninterested in what major decisions are made by the government, and are simply being used by their parentals for an extra person support their own beliefs.

On July 1, 1971 the 26th amendment was passed which lowered the minimum age to vote from twenty one to eighteen years old. Shortly after the amendment was passed twenty nine states across America started lowering the drinking age from 21 to either 18,19, or 20 years old. This new freedom for young adults only lasted for a brief time by 1984 the Uniform Drinking Age Act was passed. The Uniform Drinking Age Act forced states to change the drinking age back to twenty one years old; by reducing the federal transportation funding, for each state that did not have a minimum drinking age of21. This act has caused controversy for years, there even is group of 136 college presidents called Amethyst Initiative that support a lower minimum legal

If maturity is the issue, it important to take into account that 16 year olds are just as informed as 18 year olds (in some cases more so). In fact there could be many 20, 30, or even 40 year olds who are irresponsible, do not make informed decisions and are clueless; this does not mean we deny them the right vote. Just because they are older necessarily does not mean they know everything in detail about politics because they have more life experience and can make better informed judgements than a 16 year old.

The 26th amendment was also important because it lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years of age. There was a long debate going on about the age during World War II when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and during the Vietnam War. The debate was over having men being drafted at a young age and not being able to vote. In 1943, Georgia was the first to lower voting age to 18. Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly voted for this law in 1945. Match 10, 1971, the U.S. senate voted unanimously in favor and by March 23 the states the states ratified it and President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law in July of that

Before this amendment was ratified, only four states had their required ages lower than 21. Those states were Georgia, Kentucky, Alaska, and Hawaii. During World War II, attempts to lower the voting age began. But, it was not until the Vietnam War that the 26th Amendment was passed. The issue arose because men under the age of 21 were being drafted to fight in both World War II and the Vietnam War, and many people argued that if they were old enough to fight, they were old enough to vote. Since the 26th Amendment

26th Amendment -by the National Education Association.if your old enough to fight in war so you were old enough to vote.

Unbelievably, the United States citizens trust their sixteen-year-old children to drive three thousand pound vehicles. We require our working young to pay taxes. We trust the decision-making abilities of eighteen year olds in public elections, with the right to smoke, and with the choice of marriage without parental consent. Our young adults are

In my opinion, I feel as though the voting age should stay at 18 and not be changed to 21. One of the reasons why the voting age should stay at 18 is because regardless of your age everyone's voice and opinion should be heard and everyone deserves an opportunity to be able to vote. Also if the voting age were to be increased to 21, the participation rate for voting would decrease significantly. Everybody says how important it is to vote so why should 18,19 and 20-year-olds not be included? If the voting age was raised, it would make things worse, and it wouldn't be right for them to not take part in voting for our political future. Many people may underestimate the younger age groups and may not see them as mature enough to take part in voting.

For as long as I can remember, the age at which one should be able to vote has been a very controversial debate. With the upcoming presidential election on the horizon, we once again see a surge in the push back of the legal voting age. As of July 1971, the 26th amendment, has been enforced. In the article, Leave the Voting Age Alone, it states that the 26th amendment “establishes 18 as the minimum voting age for both state and federal elections” (Cheng). Previously the voting age was set at 21, but was challenged around World War I and changed to 18, largely because of the slogan, “ Old enough to fight, old enough to vote”(Cheng). Since 1971 the minimum age to vote has been 18, so why change it now?

As the upcoming election approaches, society it concerned with the current voting age of 18 years old. In the United States 18 years of age is considered an adult, as they can vote, join the army, and make many decisions by themselves without the consent from a parent. The voting age has been constant for a good deal of time. In Leave the Voting Age Alone Jenny Cheng states that, “The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, establishes 18 as the minimum voting age for both state and federal elections.” Even though this age has remained constant and has worked for decades now, there are still a multitude of people who desire to either raise or lower the voting age. The voting age was amended with serious and extensive reasoning therefore the voting age should not be changed.

In the argument, “16: The Right Voting Age”, the National Youth Right Association According to author, “Young people have strong views about the environment”(451). Because they have power. According to author, “Youths are most directly impacted by education policy”(451). Because the youth mind are open for everything. Also the author saying “Teens are already treated like adults”(451). I agree with the author because my experience confirm

Even if the voting age were to be changed it wouldn't change how many younger people show up to vote. The U.S. Census Bureau shows that only 38% of voters in the 18-24 age group had voted in 2012; while close to 70% of middle aged and elderly