Should the age to vote be reduced to 16?

Teenagers are included in the general public. The general public is allowed to vote regardless of your so called 'ratio'. Why are teenagers then excluded?

 

When did I state that I didn't include teenagers in my terminology? I certainly don't remember doing so.

 

I believe the Majority of 16 year olds would not vote based on their opinion, and what they want their life to be like, and who they want running the country. I believe some would more likely vote for things that sound appealing to them now and not think of the future. Also, I think many would be influenced by other people, like Parents, and so it may end up, instead of "16 year olds can now vote for who they think", it may be more like "Parents with 16 year old children now get extra votes."

 

Doesn't the same thing apply to 18 year olds? I'm pretty sure it should actually be raised to 21.

 

I guess you are right. It should either stay at 18 or raise to 21, in my opinion. I definetly don't think it should be lowered at all.

 

NO because at 16 teens want to party and they could care less who ever the pres is gonna be.. this is 100%true

 

It was only lowered to 18 because of the draft. If you're risking you're life fighting and for your country, you should be able to influence decisions. And as others have said, the majority of 16-year-olds don't have a decent understanding of how government works, which influences how you interpret the views of many candidates. Of course, I suppose the same thing could be said about many 18 year olds, or even 28 or 38 or...

As far as basing it on general intelligence, how do you objectively define intelligence? IQ tests are more geared towards aptitude rather than actual competency. And remember reading about the literacy tests in your textbooks?

 

I'm eligible to vote yet I 'want to party' as well.

It's the fact that most of their maturity levels cannot comprehend to cast a vote.

Anyway, no I do not think the age restriction should be lowered to 16 years of age.

 

If the moron to intellectual ratio is uneven for all, then it matters not to this point. You implied teenagers.

Gee, voting for what you want. That's something I've never heard of. Social Conformity, hmm...

Why?

If one teen cares about the president, then your whole argument is invalidated.

So what if we party? You have a problem with that? Adults party as well, you know.

And, at 16 years (rounded), pay taxes and contribute to your country, yet, you cannot influence decisions?
So what, not many adults have a decent understanding of the Government either.

Basing it on general intelligence is stupid. Your to dumb, so you can't vote. /facepalm

It's not hard to comprehend, are you calling us stupid?

There is no clause that states one must be mature to cast a vote. Unless I'm misinformed?

 

The first point is legitimate enough. Just bear in mind that even lowering the voting age to 18 only occurred in an effort to assuage widespread discontent during the Vietnam(?) War. I'm not fundamentally opposed to changing the voting age to 16, but I don't see it as necessary, or likely to happen.

On the second point, perhaps you misread. I was saying the same thing you are. I was simply responding to other people suggesting that voting rights be based on some sort of test.

 

Infact, I think it should be raised to age 21. 16 is too young to know WTF you're doing. And 18 year olds are too cocky which leads to the same problem as 16 year olds. However, at 21....you might have some common sense.

 

It's a right in a democratic country to vote. Taking away that right from 12 year olds is acceptable. They are entirely dependent, they don't contribute, and they're cognitive functions haven't developed.

Taking it away from 16 year olds is unacceptable. They are only semi-dependent, if that, they contribute to the country, and their cognitive functions have developed to a point where critical and analytically reasoning can be used coherently.

My mistake xD.

Because I go to my car and don't know wtf I'm doing. Because I fill in tax forms and don't know wtf I'm doing. Because I go take a maths test and don't know wtf I'm doing.

So what if we're cocky? Is there anything in the voting law that omits one from voting based on cockiness? How would we test for this? You know that adults are also cocky, right? Raising the voting laws based on prejudice and discriminating ones democratic rights is unacceptable.

 

I think 18 is a good age as this is when most graduate high school and start their lives in the 'real world' where they become more aware of their surroundings and reality of life.

I'm more in favor of the drinking age being lowered to 18 if not lower, I find it astounding and frustrating that an 18 year old kid can go off to another country and die for something he might even believe in and not be able to drink alcohol.

 

So what? We have plenty experience in the 'real world'.

There are mountainous piles of evidence to elucidate that drinking severely impairs an adolescents cognitive functions and brain activity. It destroys the way their brain develops and ultimately will affect them in the long-run. 21 is too high as yes, they can die for their country, but not drink with it.

Regardless, is experience a caveat in order to vote? Where is it in the law?

 

In the US the driving age is 16. Personally I think Driving is a much bigger responsibility than Voting and therefore it would only stand to reason that there would be no problems if the voting age was reduced to 16. Just my quick way of thinking about it.

 

I would say vote age can stay. But drinkin age limit should be lowerd to 16.

 

In the 'real world' you are more open to your surroundings and actually want to have a say in what is going on, at 18 most graduate high school and start careers for life which is when they start understanding politics, on a government and business level and feel a need to change problems they face.

If it is so terrible, why do most European nations have such a low drinking age? Most are 16 if not lower and yet they seem to turn out fine? The problem with having a high drinking age in the US people want to drink for the wrong reasons.

Would you want basically children voting for president? It would be like the VMA's where they vote for the most attractive/funniest person.

 

One of my exact points earlier. Teens are allowed to drive weapons of mass destruction capable of killing numerous, yet, we can't sign a form.

This isn't about the drinking age limit, and, this doesn't make any logical sense.

There is no empirical evidence for having a voting age remain at 18.
There is empirical evidence for increasing the drinking age.

The real world is the world around us. Teenagers do not live in a fake world.

Are you denying the empirical evidence?

Children? No. 16 year olds, yes.

 

The reason that the drinking limit is so low in Europe is for a good reason: The driving limit is raised to 18. That way, when teens can drive, the thrill of drinking has already worn off, so they don't drink and drive as much as in the US.

In the US, in fact, most DUI deaths are caused because of 21 year olds driving to the bar, drinking, and driving back, BECAUSE THEY CAN. If they did not have a driving licence, they wouldn't even THINK of driving drunk?

as for the voting age:
However, people seem stop becoming more intelligent around age 16 in anything that could possibly be applied to politics, so it honestly doesn't really matter. 18 is just a convenient number, really.

 

No. Plain and simple, 16 year olds are children. Might as well reduce the age to vote to 13 if you're going to go down to 16. In my opinion the age to vote should be 21. Also political scientists shouldn't have the same one vote as arkansas inbreds.