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Importance of voting among youth
Is voting for young people? by Martin P. Wattenberg
Is voting for young people? by Martin P. Wattenberg
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Youth Voting: Will I Vote? As of the ratification of the 26th amendment in 1971, the voting age in the US is 18. As I turn 18 this coming summer I now have the chance to participate in elections local, state, and national wide. The history of youth voting has changed over time with that more 18-24 year olds are voting as time goes on. The question comes to mind about voting in that why would someone want to vote and if it’s just a waste of time. I believe that if people have the chance to vote, then they should which is why I am going to vote in elections to come in the future. Over time, the youth vote has changed by the amount of youth voting, who they vote for, and the racial differences among the voters. Youth voting is still the lowest …show more content…
percentage of all the age groups in the majority of the charts that are given in packets 1+2. The highest percentage of youth voting was during 2012 of the battle between Obama and Romney. The percentage of youth voting is a wave effect as when some years it is at a low and other years it is at a high. The youth vote has changed over time due to who they vote for. The democratic party has the highest percentage of 18-24 year olds compared to other parties in graph D of packet 1. The minority groups are increasing in voting percentage. The charts in packet 1 show that throughout the years the percentage of non-white young people have a higher percentage of voters than white young people. This is because throughout the events in history minorities are given the same rights as whites and are taking advantage of the opportunities they are given. The reason the youth vote has a low percentage compared to the other age categories is that people may not want to vote.
Someone may not want to vote because they might not know was going on in government and do not want to take part in something they are not familiar with. Another reason why a youth voter would not want to vote is that they do not care enough about voting to vote. I will vote in elections to come because I personally want to have a voice in government and that it’s a constitutional right to vote. As I get older, the government plays a bigger role in my life and with that I would like to have a say in how my life goes. I know that I can’t change some things, but I would like to at least try and have a chance to have my way go in government which is why I’ll vote. I also believe that since the government protects you in many ways, then you should use the right they give you to vote and do it. As becoming the age of 18, people has the chance to start voting. People 18-24 have a lower percentage of voting than other ages. This is because the youth vote has changed over time and the reasons why the youth vote doesn’t want to vote. I will vote in the upcoming elections when I turn of
age.
It’s very unsettling to know that there was a six percent decrease in young voters (ages 18-29) in the 2012 election compared to 2008 (Circle Youth data). In 2007 the National Conference of State Legislatures publicly released a report and data set on voter turnout in democratic countries. This is a quote from that report titled Getting out the Vote, “It should be noted that in 1972, 18-year-olds were added to the eligible voting population, thus decreasing the percentages. Nonetheless, voter tu...
One issue that has been a major topic of discussion recently is voting for upcoming elections. I read an article recently by Catherine Rampell called “ Where are all the Young Voters?” where she discusses how millennials are the group least likely to vote. She also states that all generations seem to be voting less but the amount of millennials voting seems to be in a severe decline. Rampell goes on to explain that millennials not wanting to vote does not seem to fit their status as being “socially conscious”.
So what is it that differs between young registered voters to vote or not, certainly there are youth out there who cares and go out of their way to vote. Many high school students are excited when they are near the age of voting, yet many failed to actually do so. The first partial finding would be that young voters feel left out of the politics they are voting for. Priscilla Lewis Southwell arg...
Young adults (age 18-26) are much less likely to go to vote than older people are. In addition, most young people’s interest in service has not extended to include political service. Older people are much more likely to vote in elections than younger people are. (Hershey, 2015, p. 168) moreover, older people tend to vote more frequently and consistently than young
The youth of today face many challenges. They face the normal challenges of becoming an adult and gaining their independence, leaving home for the first time, busier schedules than ever, and the new right to vote. Voting for the first time is an exciting experience and offers a new freedom not previously experienced but many of today’s youth decide not to exercise their new right. There has been a 15% decline in the turnout of 18-25 year olds since 1972 (Levine, Peter and Mark Hugo Lopez). This could be the result of confusion on the process of voting, more instability of their living situation, lack of interest, and lack of knowledge regarding politics.
Voting is important to make sure that the government operates the way it’s designed to and make sure that the citizen’s beliefs are heard by the country political system. From 1781-1971 the voting rights have changed drastically. It started with only allowing men who owned property and were 21 and older to vote. It changed allowing 21 and older to vote regardless of race or ethnic background. Women were later allowed to vote. Finally the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18 (Voting History). When a group or person is voting, they are expressing an opinion following a discussion, debate, or campaign. Many people of all ages vote, 18 to 20 year olds are only a small part of the votes. When voting for your country or anything you should know what you are voting for. Many teens don’t. Their votes can be influenced by parents and peers making their votes not true. Being a teen you are not educated enough to even know or understand what they are voting for. The United States Government should increase the legal voting age to allow teens to wait until they fully understand what they are voting for and let them gain their own values to vote for what they think is right.
Young adults ages 18-24, don't really pay any mind to the votes. The average percent of young adults voting is 38%, which means that not even half the young adults are voting. Lowering the age of being able to vote would only lower the percentage down more.
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 to take a step against making America a compulsory voting country, because it proves unnecessary and there are other alternatives than mandatory voting.
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.
Why are they instantly seen as wiser and sharper? Research from the University of California- Los Angeles, shows that 16 year olds share the same level of political knowledge as 21 year olds. Equality in knowledge is a main reason why teens should be able to vote. While in high school, teens are exposed to a large variety of topics, including topics from government to psychology. Attending class will help students learn about presidential candidates and the voting process.
To begin with, younger voters are not interested in the presidental election as much as older voters. According to a U.S Census Bureau report, only 38% of voters in the 18 - 24 age group voted in 2012. Which means younger voters did not vote at all in the 2012 presidential election. Allowing younger citzens to vote may not increase the voting participation in the presidential or congressional elections.
If the voting age was lowered, them the youth voting rate would probably be even lower. Most teenagers don't even know much about politics till they take a United States government course which will usually be when they are sixteen or seventeen years old. Sure, there are mature teenagers who vote not because their friend is voting for one particular candidate, but because they care about our country. Many teenagers will abuse voting, though. "One bad apple can spoil the bunch," is a good example for this instance. If teenagers were to leave their homes and get jobs and try to support themselves, just think of how disastrous that would
...ion. In the 11 major states, only 66% of eligible voters turned out in the 2012 election, and in the 39 other states the voter turnout averaged at 57% (What Affects Voter Turnout Rates). These numbers are a harsh pill to swallow. Not only are non imprtant states turnout low, but the 11 key states even have low turnout. Our country, and states should be focusing on increasing these numbers. This is backed by Jenny Cheng, a lecturer at Vanderbilt Law School said “Interest in improing young adults’ political participation would be better focused on attacking barriers like residency requirements that exclude college students…The voting age is the least of their problems” (Cheng). Lowereing the voting age is not a wise choice. This debate on lowering the voting age should be ended, and time should be focused on increasing voter registration and increasing voter turnout.
Twenty-one years olds are mature enough to make important decisions such as voting. Most countries around the world have established a voting age. Voting is a topic of heated debate in the United States because there are many democrats and republicans that their beliefs contradict each other. In the United States the minimum age to vote has became eighteen years old. When the right to vote rose the voting age was normally set at twenty-one, or even older. In 1970s the voting age was lessen to eighteen in many countries. There is a current debate that proposes to reduce the voting age to sixteen years old. Most governments believe that the younger generation of a population lacks the capability of casting a vote. While some people believed that the legal voting age should be lower than eighteen, others believe it should be returned to twenty-one. The legal voting age should be retuned to twenty-one because people over twenty-one more educated about politics, are not easily influenced by people’s opinions, and are more
Some would argue that teenagers aged 16 and 17 are not interested in voting or how poltics work all together. However, this is not true as in the Scottish Referendum more than 100,000 of 16 and 17 year olds were registered to vote by polling day on the 18th of September 2014. 100,000 of 16 and 17 year olds were interested in voicing their opinion on a subject that would affect not only their future but the future of Scotland and the United Kingdom. If they weren 't interested in voting then they wouldn 't have registered. Does this not prove that teenagers are more interested in voting than some may think? I think so. Now we all know that not every teenager is going to want to be involved in voting, but why should we say that all 16 and 17 year old shouldn 't be allowed to vote because of the small minority that wouldn 't vote when there is a larger number that would participant in a vote. Teenagers were very involved with the referendum. There were many heated debates that took place in and out of the classroom all around Scotland. The Senior Liberal Democrats Minister and Scottish MP, Danny Alexander t...