Voting Age To 18

Have you ever wondered if the voting age could be lowered? Well there is a huge Controversy on it. Why? Because many young adults, or teenagers, live and have the same responsibility as an adult would .In many peoples opinion, it should be lowered .Many people think the same way, young voices matter.

British dramatist Shakespeare once said that there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes. Through the ages, controversies about voting age have not quieted down, and there are more and more different opinions about voting age like it should increase to 21, or it should decrease to 17 or 16, even 13. Like a coin has two sides, each opinion has both advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, I prefer the voting age to be 18 in the United States. Teenagers who are 18 years old are independent enough to make their own decisions, and they should have the vote right as other adults do.

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.

America has been built on the idea that as citizens, we have the choice to decide what is the best for our country. Millions of Americans cast their vote every election day to make sure their voices are heard on who is going to run their country and what new policies they will bring with them. As stated in Anny Shin’s article, “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history-making moment at the polls,” voting is a, “valuable privilege,” in which many don’t realize. In the United States, not every is allowed to vote, only 18-year old citizens are allowed to vote. However the number of 18-year olds voting is very low and this has been an issue in the political for quite a while. The concerns and desires of most millennials are not being expressed as many are not voting. Many, like the city of Takoma have proposed to allow 16 and 17-year olds to vote as they believe that voting among millennials will increase.

Allowing teens that are sixteen and seventeen vote is a good idea because many kids have a dream of their own. Ben miller, who is one of the first sixteen years olds to vote stated “it's a valuable privilege”, Which in all ways he's correct not many countries allow their younger generations to vote. After the “26 amendment gave 18-year-olds the right to vote” (shin) the rate of voter registration want up. The younger teenagers are considered more likely to vote than the elders. This showed a small difference in the outturn making it a better chance for whatever candidate to be chosen. Although, Miller did not have a driver's license yet he was still able to vote because of his “pre-register” which allowed him to vote “through the Motor vehicle administration”(shin). Even though his mother was a”writer and whose father does international relief and development work”(shin), he was

In the article, “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history-making moment at the polls,” by Annys Shin, many teens who are 16-17 years old can now vote during the election. The decision was made by the Takoma City Council that in Montgomery County Community, they are the first ones in the nation to lower their voting age from 18-16 years old. A group of 350 students from Montgomery Blair High School were granted the right to vote in elections and one of the student who got the right to vote, Ben Miller had said, “ It’s a valuable Privilege,” and he means that it is a great advantage that many 16-17 years old can now vote. Many young adults who are the age of 18 are most likely not a good age to vote because many of them are planning to leave their childhood homes. And they can lack of discipline and causes them not to vote.

Imagine, a world where the young people had a voice in American politics! Probably, a scary thought to some adults. However, what if young people did have a voice, in American politics. In this case, the right to vote. The right to vote has been in an issue, in our culture for years. From people being the opposite sex, to people of a different skin tone. The right to vote has always been the issue, of who could vote. The voting age in America is 18, but the question is, should it be lowered to 15. I do agree the voting age should be lowered to 15. The right to vote is an important right, it would promote political participation and there are no wrong votes.

In the Persuasive argument, “16:The Right Voting Age”, the National Youth Rights Association they claim that 16 years old can vote. The National Youth Rights Association states “Teens are already treated like adults for example, 16-year-old can drive legally in many states.Also, young people can be tried for serious crimes as adults”(451). The National Youth Rights Association are insisting that teenagers can drive car and if did something wrong they will get a punishment. My claim is similar to The National Youth Rights Association; however, it differs in that teens are treated like adults, adolescents do not have the same responsibility that adults have. In addition, According to The National Youth Rights Association,

The controversy over lowering the voting age is a difficult one. While lowering the voting age will increase the number of voters, it is not guaranteed to increase the percentage of participation. We must also consider the fact that younger voters tend not to vote. Another concern is the involvement of young adults ages 16-18 in politics. It is not common that these teens follow politics and think about who would be a good leader for their country. Lowering the voting age most likely will not help to improve voter turnout or participation or turnout. We need to work toward increasing the participation of the existing voters.

In the article “ Why We Should Lower the Voting Age to 16,” Laurence Steinberg asserts that teenagers deserve “ more than just a voice to make a change” but a right to vote (Steinberg). He elaborates on how teenagers are qualified to vote because their minds are fully developed enough to make good choices. Steinberg believes that teenagers have the responsibility to vote because currently the teens right now are having a “ thoughtful, eloquent protest.”

Indeed, many reasons exist as to why individuals in the age bracket of sixteen to eighteen should be given voting access. In their teenage years, young people are afforded the right to participate in the workforce and earn income. With this right, they should also be granted the privilege to vote in local, state, and national elections because they are paying towards local, state, and federal taxes. Simply, sixteen to seventeen year-olds pay into the government coffers, and thus should only be taxed if they have an equal voice in their government. In contrast, some may say young people have not paid their dues yet and have only paid limited tax dollars to the government. However, any person taxed should have a voice in government. Furthermore, if the voting age is lowered to sixteen years, young citizens are able to express their ideas and opinions related to both society and government as well as shed a different viewpoint on social matters. Teens in the U.S. can select political leaders, who value teen views and offer support to the young generation. The future of this country is truly the next generation, and issues and

In the United States, voting is one of the few ways citizens can make a stand for their opinions and attempt real change. With the overwhelming importance of voting, it is very crucial that there is a large voter turnout. A huge way to increase the number of participating voters, would be to lower the age of voting from 18, to 16.

The relationship between young people and voting has become an increasingly complex matter. Most younger people, if living on their own, simply do not have the time to vote; while older persons may get to live off their 401k plans in relative comfort, when you're working a 60+ hour week, things like voting can slip one's mind. Opening up voting to 16 year olds- old enough to form an opinion, young enough to freely act on it- would help to resolve this issue. Despite the implications of the "Keep the Voting Age at 18" article, young people do not, in fact, live under rocks. In fact, we're often the ones most vulnerable to suffering under the capricious whims of the U.S. Government. This has, as they say, screwed us over. Those who choose to go to college get crushed by student loans, and those who don't often miss out on career opportunities. As we grew up,

We could have more U.S congress members, and more presidential candidates. So together with our help, we could get this law changed. We could get voting to start at 16 and attract new politicians, new voters, new people. I am Jeffrey Muller and this is my argument on voting at 16 years of

Recently, people have called out for the U.S. legal voting age to be lowered. If this is to happen the voting age would go down two years, from 18-16 years old. While some say it would help increase the voter participation, others have good reasons to think the opposite.