Voting at 16? It might just happen?

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What!? They might lower the voting age!?

Yep! You read right! They are trying to lower the voting age to 16 years old! New York time says,” Indeed, a recent poll found that 75 percent of registered voters opposed letting 17-year-olds vote, and 84 percent opposed it for 16-year-olds. In March, when Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts proposed a 16-year-old voting age amendment to House Democrats’ sweeping voting rights bill, it failed 126 to 305, with almost half of her fellow Democrats voting against it and only one Republican in support.”  Many do seem against it, but not all. Some say the benefits of voting or letting 16-year-olds vote are very high, they say it might actually be a good thing and may actually be beneficial for not only the U.S but to them as well. It may even teach them something as they are voting, as well as it teaches us! Many even believe that 16-year-olds know more about politics and about the world than adults do. An argument made by many is that at age 16, you can drive, work, and pay taxes, why can’t they vote at 16? This is a valid argument that makes sense. Another valid argument made is that there would be a lot more people voting and that maybe 16-year-olds will vote compared to many adults who don’t! “ Research from 2014 shows that in Vienna specifically, turnout for 16- and 17-year-old first-time voters was 64 percent, significantly higher than the 56 percent turnout for 18- to 20-year-old first-time voters.”  There are many opinions on this topic that go both ways, and each side has valid points but you have to put bias aside for a minute, research things such as the stats on this topic. You must look both ways and dig deep before you make an opinion for yourself. Are 16-year-olds too immature? Or is lowering the voting age something we need to do?

Is 16 too young? Or is it just old enough? 

There are many opinions on voting but, voting at 16? There are many that say yes and many that say no. A 16-year-old student says, “I do not think sixteen-year-olds should be able to vote because most people that age aren’t very mature.” Many other people have the same opinion. We asked a senior citizen why or why not 16-year-olds should vote. She replies, “Umm… Because most 16-year-olds don’t contribute to the economy. I think you should have something at stake before you…let’s see. You need to be earning a living before you vote because it would affect you so you would take it more seriously. Cause a lot of people to think well I’m just waiting and that it doesn’t mean anything but it does.” So as you can see, many people disagree. However, Some do agree! Either way, it goes, it is up to you to decide. 

This has happened before!?

This has actually happened before! They lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971. They even made a 26th amendment saying, “Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age”  President Richard Nixon certified the 26th amendment on July 5th,1997. In the Vietnam war, the age of the soldiers had to be 19 years or older which is where the popular saying, “old enough to fight, old enough to die” came from.  In 1971, West Virginia’s senator Jennings Randolph, proposed the constitutional amendment to lower the voting age and it passed through the Senate. From there the amendment proposal was passed and became the 26th amendment in the constitution. 

Check it out for yourself! (Credits)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/19/us/politics/voting-age.html

https://nextcity.org/features/view/why-we-should-lower-the-voting-age-to-16

https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xxvi