Voting is a key aspect involved in the function of a democracy in a country, a democracy being a system chosen by the population it governs. Usually the voting population would choose to elect someone as their representative, such as a political party. The victory of the vote usually depends on the majority vote of those participating. In most countries, those under the age of eighteen do not get to vote based on the laws that stand within that population. Suffrage is another word for the ‘right to vote’. The result of the vote will impact on the actions that are taken. There are many arguments as to whether suffrage should be given to those of a younger age, as decisions made by the population in a vote may also affect them in the years …show more content…
There is evidence that it could have been when “ ‘The Student Room’ the worlds’ largest online student community” set up a poll for students under the age of eighteen so they could say what they would have voted for if they had the opportunity. According to the article published on a site associated with the student room ‘tsrmatters’ this statement was made based on the results found.
“There are 1.46 million 16-17 year olds in the UK and with 82% voting remain, that number would match the 1.2 million difference between the leave and remain votes. Potentially changing the result completely” [4]
This statement could suggest that if the opportunity had arisen, the results of the referendum may have been different. The ‘side effects’ of Brexit may not have occurred, such as the record drop in the value of the British pound against other currencies which took place as soon as the ‘leave’ result was announced. [5] This could imply that the results were not the best for the future of the UK and if the voting age had been lowered, perhaps the results would have been different and the problems associated with the decision to leave would not have taken place. I believe it to be unjust that the younger generations are ignored in such big decisions. Sixteen year olds are able to legally consent to sex, have a full-time job, pay taxes and seventeen years olds are legally able
In the first article that wants the voting age to stay at 18 says that younger people wouldn’t
Although, being a teenager myself I do have a clear understanding about the momentous moment certian teeangers in the Montgomery County are being offered, but was it worth the controversy within the government to finally make it happen. A Fred Schultz, elaborated on the issue that the outcome would not be as rewarding for the amount of time that was spent to grant this right to the counties teenagers in order to raise the amount of political participation(Shin). Once the results came trickling in, there seemed to still be an exceedingly low rate for voter turnouts. Montgomery teenagers were simply granted the right, and proved to the county there was no point in doing so since there was little participation from their age group. Not to mention that majority of the sampled teenagers would not take the initiative to register to vote, and even though the county had registration at the Motor Vehicle Registration there is a point that not every teeanger is able to drive legally. Thus, that extra step to increase voter registration amongst teenagers was not beneficial. Giving us the right to vote comes at a cost, and it seems
At 16 we are considered as young adults – accepting responsibilities of our own action – should we not then be treated as one too and hold a position in the political world to prove that we can be trusted to cast our vote wisely. Who is to say at what age we have entered the adulthood mentally and are mature enough, responsible enough to finally be able to vote. Giving the vote to young adults would force politicians to take our needs and desires more seriously instead of it being neglected. By not allowing
In the article, “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history making moment at the polls”, by Annys Shin, it is said that Ben Miller a 16-year-old boy walked into the toll booth at Takoma Park Community Center and was planned to do something about the fact that 16-year-olds cannot vote in the election. This brings up an interesting argument of whether or not 16 and 17-year-olds should be allowed to vote. People will argue that 16 and 17-year-olds do not know what they are doing or just have a lack of interest and that is a reason why some say no to letting them vote but others say that it could mean the difference in the election.
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
The opponents of this campaign argue that these teenagers are not old enough to vote and they will not make informed decisions. Counter augments follow that lowering
Since the United States of America established itself as its own self-governing country, one of the things that caused it to be salient and stand out from other countries is its relentless insistence on functioning as a democracy. Wars and protests have occurred so that every type of people, whether it was women or African Americans, may be granted the right to vote. Having a say in the American government is an honor and a privilege bestowed upon American citizens when they reach the age of eighteen. However, in recent years, statistics have shown that voter turnout and participation in recent elections has been rapidly and steadily declining, causing the United States to have the lowest voter participation in the world (“Is the System
Conservatives receive an increasing percentage of votes in correlation with age and Lib Dem and Labour have high performance among the younger groups. The writer G.B. Shaw once wrote that, 'If you are not a socialist by the time you are 25, you have no heart. If you are not a Conservative by the time you are 35, you have no head'. There is the entrenched view that young people are more liberal whilst as individuals grow older they become more set in their ways, more wedded to traditional values and attitudes and more likely to believe that Conservative governments are more likely to safeguard their financial and personal security which appear increasingly important in later life. Considering this, surprisingly in the 2010 general election, the ages of 18-24 voted fairly equally between the three main parties with the age bias gap only really becoming apparent from the age 55 onwards. This shows that younger prejudices and party alignment are not as ingrained as that of the elderly meaning that old people may be influenced in their voting behaviour by their age but the same is not as apparent for young people, despite the surface recognition that it is. Yet the implication of young people sharing their votes between parties could be due to other factors, when
Before the individual referendums for Scottish independence and EU independence political interest and election turnout amongst young people was statistically low and steadily decreasing. This changed for the referendums but it is doubtful however there will be a high turnout of young people in forthcoming local and national elections. Young people tend to vote on single topics, for single issue parties and in referendums more than elections. If 16 year olds could vote more needs to be done to gain young people’s interest in politics.
Moreover, even when looking at the people who did vote and the outcome which was achieved, referendums can never truly represent everyone and meet society’s needs as a whole. This is because although a majority of people voted a certain way, there is usually a very slim margin between this and the
If the government allowed sixteen-year-olds to vote, they would build in them the habit of going out in elections at a young age. Eventually, that will result in increasing the overall voter turnout as the population ages. Middle adolescents would go out and practise their right out of habit. Consequently, the country will be more democratic. Moreover, politicians will care more about middle adolescents knowing that their voices count. Therefore, better services and advanced programs as well as critical wise decisions will take place creating a better environment for them. Overall, getting sixteen-year-olds into the habit of voting will definitely turn the table.
Some voters did not understand where Parliament would get their funding, they had distrust in the First Minister’s argument, and their own risk assessment on whether it was worth it or not. The main consensus for their reason of voting No was that they were united together 300 years previously and should stay united. There was also a lack of understanding in the reasons for independence. The demographics of the vote showed that millennials of the sixteen to seventeen age range voted for the independence of Scotland, 71%.
“My parents don't vote—they were not even registered—so growing up, I've never gotten the chance to freely express myself or voice my opinions,” Jillian Wu, 16 years old student, saying that her parents never voted for anything, and that she should be voting her opinion because she never had the chance to express her feelings and thoughts about anything, the country considers her as a child that shouldn’t be voting for any big voting clubs. People think that young men and women are immature, that idea
As opposed to that, it is true that 16-years-old are easier to influence than older people. A lot of things can affect their vote. Not only the false advertisement from the politicians but also being
This argument of Australia’s voting age has been debated nationwide for over quite an extensive period of time. Voting is a fundamental aspect of our democratic system which enables an opinion thus pursuing laws and rules that govern our country. Several people believe that 16 year olds can handle the responsibility of voting as it is an important skill as a citizen to have a say in what will have a direct impact on them in the future. However, this statement can be highly controversial as many believe they make rational decisions based on lack of experience and maturity.