Lower the voting age? (Debate) (National Youth Rights Association). (2006, October 2). Junior Scholastic. 109.3: 9(1). Retrieved July 10, 2007 from InfoTrac OneFile.
Michael Cappetta a 16 year old junior at Chagrin Falls High School in Ohio stated “Opening up the voting pool to a younger generation may inspire our generation to vote more often, and take part in democracy.” This would definitely be a step in the right direction for ensuring not only youths are voting but that parents become more involved by assisting teenagers with being informed properly.
Sufferin' for suffrage: should teens have the right to vote? (News Debate). (2004, September 24). Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication 104.3: 3(2). Retrieved July 10, 2007 from InfoTrac OneFile.
Adolescents are continually learning and providing voting awareness in the critical years prior to college would increase voter turn out year after year. "If you can get young adults to cast a ballot in one of their first two or three elections, you increase the likelihood that they'll [vote] regularly. If you miss that first window, you'll probably lose them," said Tom Patterson, head of the Vanishing Voter Project, an organization devoted to increasing voter turnout.
Milligan, Susan. Youth Voters a Force in ’08 Race 9/11 and Irag War Spur Participation. (2007, May 13). Retrieved from The Boston Globe National News.
Statistics show there was an accelerated increase in youth participation for the 2004 political elections. “…young voter participation increased from 36 percent in 2000 to 47 percent in 2004…Analysts also project that the final statistics from 2006 will show it to be a record year for youth voting…” (Milligan)
Austria Lowers Voting Age. (2007, April 17). Retrieved July 10, 2007 from http://www.youthrights.org/nyranews2007.php.
“We demand so much responsibility from the younger generation and load so many burdens on their shoulders that we feel it was the right thing to do,” wrote Austrian ambassador Eva Nowotny in a letter to NYRA. This monumental step for Austria may prove beneficial to the United States as the voting trend of youths will be watched closely.
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5 comments:
I certainly hope they would at least consider lowering the voting age. Having a 16 year old myself,I would like to see him casting his vote.
The legal age of voting should not be lowered to 16. Must 16 year olds can't decide what to where? Driving, like voting, is privilege not a right. A 16 year olds opinion should be considered but they should not vote.
While I understand your view Jay, the common misconception that voting is NOT a right is incorrect. Driving is a privilege, an earned right. Voting is a right. This fact is based on the Constitution of the United States and the Amendments listed therein regarding voting. (specifically Amendment XV, XIX, XXIV, and the most recent one in 1971 of XXVI) The perception that voting is a privilege stems from the fact we in America live in a democracy that provides the right to vote, unlike several other countries.
I don't think that they should be able to vote either. Yes, politics do involve 16 year olds but they for the most part are not mature enough to make a decision like this. To them, voting is more like a popularity contest and deciding who should be president has so much more at risk.
Latron you bring up a valid point as well. I will be attempting to research how teens actually feel about the right to vote. I disagree though that all 16 year olds are immature. This to me implies they would not be intelligent enough to understand what's at stake during elections. Through some of my research I have discovered that teenagers are more than likely “more informed” during this time period as schools are teaching the very subject that’s at hand. I know the schools in my area take the subject very serious and attempt to involve teenagers in the “critical thinking” process of determining who should be elected. This is based on what I went through with my 19 year old daughter just a few years ago. Thank you everyone for posting your thoughts. They definitely help me to “hone” in subtopics I will need to address in my paper.
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