It’s an age-old question that resurfaces every presidential election: should the voting age be lowered?
As it stands, American citizens must reach the age of 18 before they can vote for government officials. Since 18 is considered the age of adulthood in the US — it is generally the time that they enter college, the workforce, and gain independence from guardians — it makes sense that the US considers this the best age for people to be able to influence huge decisions, like who our president is.
Many argue, however, that it is time for change; they demand that the voting age be dropped down to 16 years.
Although the age may seem extremely young, it isn’t actually a drastic or radical suggestion.
Dropping the voting age to 17 in the United States has actually worked in practice. 15 of our states already allow for kids this age to vote during the primaries and no significant issues have arisen from the change, according to Fairvote. Other countries like the UK, Austria, Germany and Brazil have gone as far to include 16-year-olds in voting for government officials.
Clearly, these states and countries have not fallen into despair at the lowering of the age minimum for voting. However, an amendment like this should come with strings attached.
To start, media literacy has become a huge issue for older and younger folks alike. It is necessary that children specifically know how to both comprehend the media they receive and determine whether or not it is true.
Especially in recent years, misinformation has spread like mold on bread. It’s practically impossible to avoid it, particularly on sites like Instagram and TikTok. If young people know how to seek out factual information for themselves, they will be much better-equipped to vote in the US. Classes in high school is a great start to establishing baseline media literacy in new generations.
There are some serious benefits to allowing younger people to vote.
To start, the idea of voting would likely sound very exciting to a 16-year-old. This early engagement in politics is great to encourage young people to involve themselves in their government later in life, according to Britannica. Parents who see their kids excited to vote are likely to vote themselves.
Being able to vote at younger ages also depolarizes the topic of politics, bringing it into the lives of kids early and allowing them to get familiar with basic concepts related to the voting process.
Altogether, the idea of lowering the voting age, even if by a year, can seriously increase voter turnout and gets people involved in politics early. Other countries have done it before us, so there’s nothing stopping us from doing the same. If a 16-year-old can drive on an interstate highway, I don’t see why they can’t vote as well.
