Comments on: How Old is Old Enough to Vote?

By: Liz Carleton

Liz Carleton — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:16:05 +0000

Although the article has a point that many other rights begin when you turn 16, i do not believe that voting should be one of them. We are just beginning to be truly independent on some level. We are able to drive, to have a real job, yes, but we are not completely autonomous. Voting is one of the more important rights that we have and before acheiving it kids our age should have some experience of their own before they can potentially dictate the way our country is led.

By: Laura Whitworth

Laura Whitworth — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 01:03:05 +0000

Although I would love to be able to vote in the upcoming primaries and elections, I don’t think 16 and 17 year olds should be enfranchised. The girls who go to St. Catherine’s are more educated than the normal teenager so despite the fact that we might be able to make informed decisions the average teenager would most likely simply imitate the views of parents and teachers around them. I think if 16 and 17 year olds are not considered responsible enough to be tried in court or fight for their country they cannot be responsible enough to vote.

By: Anne Garland

Anne Garland — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:32:39 +0000

I do not think that the voting age should be lowered to 16 because at 16 you are still very much influenced by your parents and society. Even though the voting age is only two years more than 16, those two years do make a difference. When you’re 18, you’re about to go off to college and live without your parents, but at 16 you’re still sheltered by your parents and their opinions. My parents influence a lot, even though I do not always notice it. I do not believe that 16 year olds are that interested in politics or pay attention to what each candidate stands for. When I realized that I will be 18 before the November election I started to pay more attention to the news and research the candidates. Also because many of the laws do not affect 16 year olds, they might not have as much interest in the making of the laws. Overall I do not see 16 year olds as being fully independent enough to form their own opinion and truly care about the issues at hand.

By: Eliza McGehee

Eliza McGehee — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:27:50 +0000

Although I can see both sides of this argument, I believe that the voting age should be lowered to 16. At this age more and more teenagers become interested in politics and want a say in their government. This is true for me since I will not be allowed to vote in the 2008 election, but I feel I have enough interest and knowledge to vote. Many people believe that 16 and 17 year olds are too heavily influenced by their parents to be able to make an independent decision. Now I can see how this is true for some people, but it is not true for everyone. I like the idea of a politics class before you can vote, because that will bring about more interest and knowledge in younger voters. With this restriction, I believe teenagers will view voting as more of a right and responsibility so they would take it more seriously.

By: Marlee Crossen

Marlee Crossen — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:50:30 +0000

I do not think that 16 year olds should be able to vote because they have not had enough life experience to draw from to make a educated decision. Voting should not be taken lightly because the man that is selected is going to be leading our country and 16 year olds are not mature enough to be able to understand the magnitude of the decision that they are making. Also 16 year olds are influenced very heavily by their peers as well as their parents and might not make the decision based on their own personal views. Granted their are 20 year olds and 30 year olds that might not understand the political system as well, but they do have life experience in order to draw from. Being students at St. Catherine’s School, we do here a lot about the political system and maintain a decent understanding of current events, however I do not believe this to be true about the majority of 16 and 17 year olds who probably do not find much interest in politics nor understand it. I also feel that advertising, which is often targeted to our age group influences younger people too much.

By: Ellen Short

Ellen Short — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:16:19 +0000

Before reading this article I was weary of the necessity for the voting age to be lowered to 16. In my oppinion most 16 year old do not know much about the political race or even the major issues the candidates decide on. I see the Presidential race as an adult issue because the issues the candidate support or do not support do not even all have to do with a 16 or 17 year old. In the article she said a good idea in that in order for people under the age of 16 to vote they need to pass a political test to insure that they understand the govornment and the issues the President will decide. I think that at 16 you are responsible enough to vote for a President, but I do not think that every 16 year old should be allowed to vote. I think that under 18 you should be able to pass a test and then you should be allwoed to vote after showing a variable of political knowledge.

By: Jennifer Rose

Jennifer Rose — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:07:41 +0000

For this issue I can see both sides. Most sixteen year olds are sophmores or juniors, living at home with their parents under their rules and standards with limited freedom. Because they cannot yet vote most may not have clear opinions on who should be the next president of their country, but at the same time if given the opportunity to vote they may get involved. I think many teens at this age are heavily influenced by their parents, but I think that remains true at any age. I believe a large number of grown adults, with their own lives and agendas are still in contact with their parents, talking, visiting and even discussing politics. Thus just because a son or daughter is no longer a child they can still be influenced by their parents. I think if 16 year olds are going to take the time to inform themselves, reading the newspaper, reading newsweeks and other magazines, watching the news and engaging in discussions. I agree though there should be some sort of class/test/requirement so that 16 and 17 year olds do not just vote for whomever because they can. Yet another side to the issue is that most laws do not affect teenagers under 18. Fighting in war, drinking, smoking, getting married, being on trial as an adult-none of these are things that for better or worse, are laws pertaining to younger teens, so why should kids not engaging in these activities vote for the law makers who make decissions for those who do fight and everything else? I guess I am taking no affirmative stand, I know 16 year olds more educated and into politics than 18 year olds or 40 year olds, and I know 16 year olds who dont care a bit about whose president, so I guess I’m “undecided”.

By: Allie Gullquist

Allie Gullquist — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:35:26 +0000

I don’t think the voting age should be lowered to 16. Personally-since I will be 18 by the November elections, I will be able to vote in the primaries. Like most others that will be able to vote, I have begun to take a much larger interest in politics and the upcoming election. However, even as a 17 year old–I can tell that I am still extremely influenced by my parents and their strong viewpoints. They may not mean to, but in merely discussing politics with them, their bias automatically shows. Even as a 17 year old, it is hard to take a subject on which your parents are so strongly biased and completely formulate your own opinions. Even by the time I’m 18, I’ll still be living at home…with their opinions. This is not to say that I necessarily disagree with them, it’s just to say that I even think 17 is a bit too early to vote. Sure, we can take the initiative…and I am definitely looking forward to having the opportunity to vote; however, 16 is way too young. Even if, like the article suggests, there were classes in school educating about politics, kids would still go home to the same bias and the same pressure from their parents to vote one way or the other. I don’t think that kids can truly begin to make their own decisions until they are out of the house, out of the influence of their parents. Thus, for now; I don’t think the voting age should be lowered to 16. If I’m struggling with this, I can only imagine how those who don’t have the St. Catherine’s academic background and more prosperous upbringing and exposure to politics could be struggling.

By: Caroline Hughes

Caroline Hughes — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:29:24 +0000

I think that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen. Recently, even though I will not be old enough to vote in November, I have noticed that I have had a growing interest in politics as this upcoming election nears. Its not just me either, I feel like many of my classmates are becoming more politically aware as well. However I wonder how different my experience at St. Catherine’s is from other teenager’s school experiences in the nation. I wonder if other schools put aside the time to talk about politics. This is why I agree with the author of the article I just read. I think that sixteen year olds should pass a course and get an early voter’s permit. This would allow those who truly have an interest in politics and are educated on the candidates to vote in an election. Others who do not care as much about the election would simply not sign up for the course. However, unlike the author of the article, I think we still need to be careful about how much responsibility is placed on teenagers. I think that I am still young and have a lot to learn and I shouldn’t be expected to behave just like an adult yet.

By: Lindsay Stone

Lindsay Stone — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 22:29:08 +0000

Although I really wish I could vote in the upcoming election, seeing as how it’s so monumental with an African American and woman both vying for the Democratic nomination, I understand why, as a 16-17 year old, I’m not allowed to. I like to think of myself as very independent but I’m sure my parents influence me more than I realize, and while a 16 or 17 year old may be perfectly capable of making their own, well informed decision, I think it is less likely that they will. Living with my parents, the main points of view I hear on a day to day basis are theirs, whereas in college as an 18 year old I’ll most likely be hearing multiple viewpoints per day. Plus teenagers tend to either eat up what their parents say or try to rebel against it in every way possible, and neither way is a good one for deciding which way to vote. The tests etc. that this article suggests are a good idea for weeding out the politically uninformed, but there is really no way to figure out whether someone is voting based on their own thoughts, feelings, and conclusions or simply those of their parents/friends.