Abstract This argumentative essay tries to shade light on whether the voting age should be lowered to sixteen. The paper discusses the reasons for lowering the age of electoral majority of sixteen as well as the opposing views and counterarguments. It also considers numerous arguments that have been raised by both sides of the debate about lowering the voting age to sixteen. The claim that is being presented in this paper is about the political maturity of people aged sixteen years. Based on the arguments that have been debated by other scholars, this paper uses numerous sources to discuss the essay to support the claims. Voting age should be lowered to sixteen because voting is considered a fundamental human right for a democratic society. …show more content…
If some citizens who are qualified to vote are denied the right to cast votes, it is considered as a severe abuse of political equality. The debate about the age of electoral majority has taken place for a long period; however, there has been moderately slight attention in the debate given to the exclusion of young people from the vote (Tremmel, 2015). Some of the critics of lowering the voting age to sixteen claim that the young people do not possess the capability and motivation of appropriately taking part in the elections. Some studies have shown that the turnout of the voters ages 18 years is relatively low, however, this cannot specifically attribute to the motivation to take part in the election (Wagner, Johann, & Kritzinger, 2012). This shows that this the issue of the age to the electoral majority is of significance and should be discussed. The age of electoral majority should be lowered to sixteen because voting is a fundamental human right for a democratic society, and future belong to the young generation, they should take part in making any decision that may cause a change in their life. If teenagers are allowed to vote, they will care more and know more about politics, which may eventually benefit the whole society by improving the quality of life of every person living in that
US senate lowers voting age to 18 On March 10th, 1971, U.S senate lowered the voting age to 18. Richard Nixon was the senate who made a law on lowering the voting age to 18. He also made the 26th amendment stating, “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.” Georgia was the first state to lower their voting age. A lot of teenagers started voting after this change was made.
Ever since the 26th amendment was passed, eighteen year olds were allowed to vote. This new voting age led to this new age group showing less representation than older groups. It was then thought of in the Montgomery County to try and change this, so they lowered the voting age to sixteen. This new way of thinking was brought up to try and bring up the amount of young voters they see less of in elections. I support this new change because it seems like a good idea to let younger people have the chance to voice their opinions.
Nowadays, the young generations are not aware of how important it is to go out to a poll and vote. Without the votes, voter turnout will continue to decline. The citizens should be more aware of what is going on, fight for their beliefs and issues, and make a
Voting is an important activity which is helpful in expressing the insights, ideologies and motivations of a mass for political parties. Voter eligibility in both national and state election has boundaries and limitations. In some states, only adult white male property owners having certain religious believes had the privilege to vote. As a result, only five percent were eligible to vote in 1790. There were other obstructions such as white only primaries, literacy tests, race, gender and age.
Meanwhile in the Unites States, the government allows its citizens to show up to the voting ballot if they so wish. Many times, the voters feel uneducated and incompetent to choose their representative. Personally, as a young adult, I’m not much familiar with politics and elections. Therefore, ignorance hinders voting sometimes especially among the young people. On the other hand, those people who have seen elections all their lives and have gained knowledge on all topics immediately show up to cast their vote.
Have you ever asked yourself "how would the world be if there was no structure to allow people to vote for the person who is leading their country?". How about "Does my vote really count ?" or "does the opinion and choice of me, one person, really make a difference?". These questions aren't simply answered but should be seriously thought of by anybody who is a citizen of a country which has an established government and truly cares about the wellbeing and future of the country that they live in. I will be focused on the importance of voting for the president themselves is important. Individuals whom are over the age 18 and have a vailidated citisenship of the country they wish to vote on, have the opretunitiy to vote on several different ascepts of the government.
The factors of voting behaviour are age, location, race, class, education and issues. All voters must be 18 years and above to vote. Location determines a person’s voting behaviour as he/she can get involved in that tradition from family, peers and community. Race, class and education are the main influence of voting behaviour. There is less alternation government when there is a dominant race to keep its party in power.
Abi H. Civic Reflection Issue 1- Change in Point of View: In Canada, voter turnout has become a major issue; as there is a large amount of the population that does not vote in elections. Back in 2008, a total of 58% of the countries` population voted in the election. This is a startling low number, which since has begun to increase only slightly in recent years. In a democratic society, voting is essential for it to function with its full potential. Doing so enacts one of your basic responsibilities as a citizen, as well as shows that you are staying involved in your community and government.
This unfamiliarity and thought of the process being confusing deters the younger people from registering to vote in the first place. By removing this process, voters can just show up to cast their votes and move on with their day without worrying about this potentially confusing process. These three methods combined could increase the voter turnout for each
A solution to the issue would be to take ideas from both and combine them. A reformation in education which both promotes active participation in government paired with concepts that weaken the barrier between demographics of people would be the ultimate solution. If political education addresses these exclusionary practices and promotes a more inclusive and democratic vision of citizenship both authors' desires would be answered. This critique of the current system of citizenship is an important addition to Allen's argument, as it highlights the need to address the structural inequalities that
The United States should lower the drinking age since it being 21 doesn't stop anyone. In the 70s the drinking age was 18 and it didn't make anyone a criminal. It would also generate a lot of money and since they made the age 21 a lot of teens have been binge drinking. The fact that colleges support lowering the drinking age tells you that it isn't a bad idea. A few of the colleges that support it are some of the best colleges in the U.S. like Duke, Dartmouth, and many more.
I am writing in response to the article, “Labor will look at dropping voting age to 16, says Bill Shorten” (The Sydney Morning Herald, 31/9/15). I firmly believe that the voting age in Australia should be reduced to 16 years of age. Today’s younger generation are taking on more and more responsibilities therefore making them more than eligible to have their say into who is going to run their country. In today’s society 16 year olds are capable of obtaining a job, earning their learners permit and paying taxes.
Everyone has the right to vote, but many don’t take that opportunity. In the article “Should Voting Be Mandatory?” Eric Liu tells us that “mandatory voting would prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices;” people usually never pay attention to their choices, and then complain about it later when everything has already happened. (Par 5). Mandatory voting means that every citizen of the age of 18 and above that has a right to vote must vote.
Across the country, college students participate in an illegal activity known as underage drinking. The drinking age in America is an ongoing debate of whether it should be kept at 21, or reduced to 18. While some believe lowering the drinking age would make drinking for young kids safer, others presume the opposite. According to Alexis Aguirre, a journalist at the Texas State University Star, “The legal drinking age should be lowered to 18. Once 18, a person is legally considered an adult and should be able to drink.”
The voting age should be lowered to 16 because youth will vote thoroughly, 16 is a better age to start voting, and voting will provide an intrinsic benefit to the lives of young people. Firstly, it is best for us to lower the voting age because young adults will vote thoroughly and make the right decisions. Alternet says that young voters are likely to vote in much the same way as their parents, not because they are coerced to do so but because or shared values meaning that there will be no worries that irresponsible teenagers will make wrong choices. National