Should There Be A Minimum Voting Age?

Article by Blake Noe, TPT Staff Writer

No matter which state you live in, the same rules apply when determining how old you have to be in order to vote. In all states, you must be 18 years old to register to vote. However, should all people be able to vote, regardless of their age. Some people think that people of all ages should be able to vote, but I think that only people 18 years old and older should be allowed to vote.

In 1971, the 26th amendment was ratified. According to rockthevote.org, “The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution extended the right to vote to all Americans aged 18 or older by lowering the federal voting age from 21”. Before the 26th amendment was ratified, the minimum age for voting in the U.S. was 21. I think that the minimum voting age should remain at 18 because teenagers' brains are still developing, which could lead potential teenage voters to make wrong decisions. 

There have been a number of efforts to lower the minimum voting age. For instance, in California, there was a ballot proposition in 2020 that would have allowed 17 years old the right to vote in primary and special elections, provided that they will turn 18 by the next general election. The ballot initiative did not pass, failing with 56% of the vote. According to the Los Angeles Times, “The proposed amendment to the state Constitution would have permitted California to join at least 18 other states that allow some 17-year-olds to cast ballots, including red states such as Kentucky and Mississippi and blue states such as Illinois and Maryland”. This shows that even voters do not want to lower the voting age to allow 17-year-olds to vote, even if they would not be allowed to vote in every election. In addition, there are a number of organizations that advocate for lowering the voting age, such as Vote 16 USA. According to this organization, “Lowering the voting age can lead to a long-term increase in voter turnout, bringing more citizens in touch with their government and pushing the government to better serve its people” .

In conclusion, I believe that people under the age of 18 should not be allowed to vote. They are still too young to be making serious decisions that could affect their future. 18 years old is the right age because that is the age when most students graduate high school, and therefore are most likely starting their adulthood.

SOURCES:

vote16usa.org/reasons-for-lowing-voting-age-16.

ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_18,_Primary_Voting_for_17-Year-Olds_Amendment_(2020).

www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-05/prop-18-17-year-olds-vote-final-results-california.