It is that time of year again when voting weighs heavy on everyone’s minds, adults and children alike. The voting age in the United States is eighteen; this means that most of the student body at Hewitt will not get a chance to vote in the upcoming election. Romi Jin ’16 says , ” The voting age should be lowered to sixteen because at sixteen one can get a permit. Why does there have to be a double standard? Sometimes we are treated like adults, and other times we are treated like children.” I encountered this same side of the voting argument in my eighth grade political philosophy class taught by Ms. Knight.
There are many who would agree with Romi, but I still say that the voting age should stay at eighteen for all elections.
First, it is natural for a child to be influenced by
powers greater than herself, such as adults and the media. We are attracted to a certain “glitter” the media slaps on a story to enhance it, thus swaying us to one opinion or another; our parents’ idea of the right candidate also clouds our own view . If the voting age was lowered, in order to obtain more votes politicians could start proposing ideas they believe would appeal to children (manipulating the brains of our nation’s youth). These ideas would probably not be in the best interest of the entire country. Hitler manipulated many German youth in the mid-20th century; he believed that whichever side the youth were on would have the most power in the future. In modern day society, it would be hard for the average teenager to resist a candidate with promises geared specifically towards young people, “Vote for me, and I will make a no homework rule in schools!” for example. With such a tempting offer, who would care about the other policies that he or she proposes?
Secondly, if the voting age was reduced, teenagers would possibly begin to demand the
reduction of other age limits, such as the drinking age, the smoking age, and the age at which one can get a license or permit. To me, voting is seen as a right for adults-only because the adult population is more capable of making sound decisions than are Americans under the age of eighteen. Further, if an adolescent had the opportunity to vote, she might assume that she is mature enough to engage in other adult activities. This is not good simply because of the fact that she is not yet an adult; there is a reason for the distinctions between adult, young adult, child, and infant. This reason is so that we know what people are ready for and not ready for at each stage of their lives. Also, a young adult will inevitably turn eighteen and get his or her chance to vote eventually; his or her time will come.
Thirdly, youth don’t always keep up on the news, listen to the candidates’ speeches, or look at what the candidates are doing to shape their communities. Children who do not keep up with the news yet demand the right to vote at a younger age wrongly expect to have a say in what’s going on but don’t necessarily know what is in fact happening around them; they just aren’t experienced or mature enough. Undeniably, there are some adults who do not keep up with current events; however, this is quite different. Adults have had more experience and are perhaps less influenced by others; these strengths come with maturity. It is in my opinion that adults would not vote if they didn’t have a good candidate to vote for. This attitude is different from the one I would expect from teens, who, if they had the right, would jump at the chance to taste of responsibility and power.
“A large portion of us could handle the responsibility, but an even larger portion couldn’t. If we are informed about politics and don’t do what our parents say, then we could vote. The problem is most of us don’t know what we’re talking about.” – Mina Khan ’16.
Mina has highlighted my main points; we are not informed enough about politics and we are too influenced by the media. As mentioned, I’ve learned about this in Ms.Knight’s history class. My peers at schools other than Hewitt, however, have not had the same learning experience. It is unfair if some school children are given the opportunity to learn about politics, making them more able to vote, while children without this learning experience would not be able to make similar decisions at the same, infomred level. This creates inferiority; wouldn’t it just be easier to have everyone wait?
