I want to declare the independence for the teenagers of America to be able to vote at a younger age. I believe the government should lower the age limit on voting to 14. Many teens under the age of 18 are interested in politics. Ever since I was 13, I was always interested in politics and many of my friends were too. Being able to vote at the age of 14 will allow the teen to choose their future. They are a piece of our population in America and should have a say in our future. I believe teens mature at 13 and will be able to choose a president with logic at the age of 14. Deciding a new president is important to everyone in America, even for teens and allowing them a say so makes sense for a true citizen. I feel my right of freedom of speech is being violated. I can’t choose a president meaning I don’t have a say so in our government. Not being able to vote is violating my right of expressing opinion. The debate is all opinion/fact based and if I can’t vote then that’s violating the whole right. For some teens, not being able to vote can affect their right to be happy, but that’s not a big …show more content…
During World War 2, president Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the minimum military drafting age to 18 which at the time the legal voting age was 18. I believe the voting age should be lowered to 14 so that teens can dabble in the government early before they are drafted into the military at 18. Many teens, including me have a very strong interest in politics. Not being able to vote really disappoints us on the fact that we like somebody, but can’t support them by voting. Teens at ages such as 14, 15, 16, and 17 want to have the same independence in their choice in the future of this country that their parents and fellow citizens have. Teens deserve the right to have the freedom of choosing their future and should be allowed to express their freedom of speech and opinion through voting for their future
In chapter one, Wattenberg discusses the declining trends of Americans who regularly read newspapers between the 1960’s and present day. This can be attributed the aging patterns among generations who frequently read newspapers as well as with the use of technology rising. Reading the newspaper is a habit that either is or is not developed by the time one reaches voting age. With this, newspapers have become an older generation’s primary source of information, however, are still the best source for political matters. Younger generations tend to be more computer literate and have grown up with television and media more accessible to them than the previous generation. These trends not only reflect in American culture, but in other countries worldwide such as Italy, and Germany. Quoting a 2003 fox news interview of President Bush, Wattenberg illustrates the vast decline of newspaper consumption; even the U.S. President isn’t reading newspapers (11). Using tables throughout chapter one to illustrate the drastic differences within the last 50 years, the author exemplifies a 35% point decrease from 1957 to 2004. He speculates that perhaps young adults don’t like to read, but proves that is not the case as surveys have shown that education levels have risen overall, and access to books and reading has also increased over the years; thereby concluding that young people read, but do not typically read the newspaper. While there are several newspaper websites available, young adults do not frequently read those websites either. Although TV news information is not as detailed as it is in newspapers, young people have an ability to make up for their disinterest in newspapers by watching the news headlines (30). Chapter one makes a strong case...
... equal system. The lower age could also encourage and interest youth much more in political processes and parties as now they would actually be able to impact the way they are governed and who is governing them. Politics would be much more noticeable in schools and the general knowledge of politics and the political process would drastically increase. The youth would also be more likely to develop earlier the skills and potentials needed in later life politically and even socially. In conclusion when all is said and done I, personally would like to say the voting age lowered to sixteen for many of the reasons above. There will be many people opposing this movement but I think it is time for the youth of Canada to be heard and if they wish they should have the opportunity to vote and express their opinions and choices.
To enforce voting to be mandatory , this will prompt more Americans to pay attention to the choices for their representatives. Mandating would stimulate the demand side, motivating voters to understand and acknowledge who they are voting for. Therefore , voting is to be a responsibility than a option.
In “You’re 16, You’re Beautiful and You’re a Voter,” author Anya Kamenetz states her belief that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen. Kamenetz gives several premises to her argument.
When analyzing the voting turn out in this nation is becomes evident that the youth of America tends to be less active compared to their elders. Written in the book "Is Voting for Young People" by Martin P. Wattenberg he breaks down the key components connecting the youth of America to voting in order to come to the conclusion of how active the youth is in politics, and ways to make them more involved.
Over the recent year’s American voters have brought back a way of voting that was used during the country’s old age of existence, this rediscovered act is known as early voting. Early voting started in the early 1990s, though the outcome has not had such a high consistency over the years it is still recommended to help the Election Day process in the country. Since voter turnout is not entirely consistent due to the process being constantly shortened by state laws, the argument against early voting is that it is a waste of taxpayers’ money, opponents believe it is ineffective. Although that is not the case, in his 2016 blog article, “A Brief History of Early Voting,” Michael McDonald inform readers on the brief history of early voting as he states how the rates of voters who has cast their ballots before election day has increased over the years, “from less than a tenth to about a third” (qtd. in McDonald) since the 1990s. This proves to show why the money being spent on this act is not simply being wasted. Although early voting has
The age at which one is eligible to vote has been a source of heated discussions and debates. Should the voting age be lowered? Should it remain at age 18?
Today in America, less than half of young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 vote (TheBestColleges.org). What most of these new adults fail to realize, is that their government depends on them to vote and elect new leaders to represent their country. Many of them make excuses to avoid voting, when really, they benefit most from voting.
A democracy has been in place over the entire history of the United States, and included in that democracy is the right for citizens to vote for their leader. Over the course of history, many changes and adjustments have been made to the rules to make them fairer to those citizens. In the beginning, only white, property owning males could vote. As the years passed, the rules loosened to women, and African Americans and all other races, and now, the main requirements are 18 years of age, a US citizen, and a registered voter, among others.
Hello, I am RJ Dearing. I am a sophomore at Washington Virtual Academies and I am writing to you to tell you why you should change the minimum age to vote to be at least closer to sixteen years of age. The younger generation of teens and young adults who also have a few opinions on politics like myself would love to voice our opinions on our own ballets. The only problem is the minimum age to vote right now is eighteen. A whole two years of waiting for our voices to be heard, when all you have to do is change the minimum age and let us have our voice heard on political matters.
Have you ever been persuaded into voting? Well, you should have your own say on where your opinion goes. Voting is a right that every citizen in America over the age of 18 can do. Many people have become aware of the fact that the number of voters had reached its all time low. But as the newest voting season comes closer, we should still have a voice and the freedom to decide what we do. Which is, take a step against making America a compulsory voting country, because it proves unnecessary and there are other alternatives than mandatory voting.
There has been much debate about the legalisation of compulsory voting throughout political history and more importantly its place in a democratic society. Compulsory voting at a Commonwealth level was recognised in Australia in 1924 under section 245(1) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act as stated: “It shall be the duty of every elector to vote at each election” (Australian Electoral Commission, 2011). Since the introduction of compulsory voting there has been both strong advocacy and opposition in terms of its legitimacy in society, which this essay will highlight through the concept of its consistency with representative democracy and its ability to ensure parties reflect the will of all people. On the contrary, opponents argue that it increases the number of safe seat electorates as well as forcing the ill informed to vote.
It was 1970 when our government finally came to the realization that 18-year-olds are able to make responsible political decisions(Elections Canada, 2014). Eventually, when people do come to the realization that 16-year-olds are capable of making responsible decisions as well, there will be a dissatisfaction in the amount of elections loss of the voices of our soon to be adults. As of this moment, our government is continuing to waste time through their hesitation in further reducing the voting age to 16. Our society should stop being complacent with the number of voters there are currently and should instead focus on improving our future elections by incorporating the ideas of 16-year-olds. There are many reasons why the government should give the right for our youth to vote such as New perspectives that provide insightful and unique ideas, it’s better to have youth vote at 16 than 18 and giving the right people who already take on the responsibilities of an adult.
Keeping the voting age at eighteen is better because most people are grown up by that age. People that are eighteen and older know things about politics. Eighteen and older are more reliable then younger people in this world. People that are eighteen and older can think like adults if they put there minds to it.
The last thing I expected to hear sitting on the exam table in my doctor’s office was a question about what I needed to do now that I turned 18 years old. I replied that I needed to apply to college because I was finally an adult. Much to my surprise, that was not the answer he wanted. To him, voting for the first time should be my first priority now that I was an adult. Our conversation had a huge impact on me because I had never considered my new right to vote or even put much thought into politics in general. The right to vote and learning about the United States are not to be taken lightly.