Voting Age Should Be 18 Essay

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There is a discussion going around about whether the voting age should be kept 18, or if it should be changed to 16. On one side, people argue that "having younger voters is crucial at a time of an aging voting population and low voter turnout". However the opposite states that "lowering the voting age would decrease the percentage of participation". I believe that lowering the voting age would not be beneficial, however we should focus on raising the percentage of young people that vote. "From 1948 to 2012, voter participataion in presidential elections changed very little." This quote is from an article in wich a person argues that the voting age should not change. In the article the author states that in the year 2012, only 62% of the population voted. the author aknowledges the fact voter turnout is low, however, he/she also states that decreasing the voting age would actually make this percentage even lower. The author backs the statement by providing information from the U.S Census Bureau report, stating that "only 38% of voters in the 18-24 age group voted in 2012". This side of the argument believes that instead of adding to the voter population, we should focus on increasing "participation from existing voters". …show more content…

They believe that not only is voter turnout a problem, but also that aging voting is a problem. In the second article the author says that "in 1950, the elderly, difined as people over the age of 65, were a mere 13$ of eligible voters". The author also state that in "2005, this percentage had grown to 17%", and that "reaserchers estimate that by 2050, 27% of voters will be over the age of 65". He/she believes that the elderly group's influence would be magnified, and that a balance should exist between age

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