Should The Voting Age Be Lowered

to 16?

If the voting age was lowered to sixteen, today's youth

may act differently. Holding the right to vote might instill
responsibility and purpose into teens. The voting age should
be lowered to 16, so that way, teens who want to submit
their choice of candidate have the freedom to do so. Teens
should be able to voice their opinions regarding political
issues and be treated the same as adults. A large
percentage of teenagers are highly intelligent and should,
therefore, be allowed to vote. At 18, most people would
have the necessary knowledge, mental maturity as well as
experience to make an informed voting decision. Many would
argue that sixteen is far too young an age to be able to
vote. However, students should be educated about politics,
economics, and international affairs and prove they are
knowledgeable before being granted the privilege to vote.

Therefore, if the voting age is lowered to 17, many areas

will push down their age for criminal responsibility and
consent to conform to the voting age ceiling. It is, though,
important to be a responsible voter; teenagers need to
show responsibility to have the right to vote in elections.
These days, more and more teens are starting their
businesses, which means they are having to deal with
customers and make sure the client has a good experience.
At home, teens are more often expected to help around the
house, this is a good way to learn responsibility, as is
owning and caring for a pet. I don't think it is a question
of lack of knowledge, but more an issue of not being
swayed by outside opinion, though by my narrow view of
things, I don't view most 16-year-olds as being prepared
for that responsibility.

The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in Australia in

1973. The argument for this was if 18-year-olds are old
enough to fight in a war, they should be able to vote. The
2019 version of this is if 16-year-olds pay tax, they
should have a say in where that tax goes. And if 16-year-
olds work, they pay tax. Additionally, young people are
affected daily by government regulation on education,
healthcare, taxation and I feel they should have a voice.

The voting age used to be 21 but if people are old enough

to serve in the military at 18, then they should be able to
vote. Also, it is said that most teenagers under 18 would
not be very interested in government anyway, meaning that
lowering the voting age would be a lost cause. There's no
denying that some people think teenagers are too immature
and inexperienced to vote. People with these thoughts are
incorrect, there are just as many inexperienced, uninformed
adults as there are teenagers. With proper education,
students can exceed these low expectations. The teens who
can prove themselves to be good role models could have a
positive influence on their friends and companions and cause
them to rise to a level of competence to vote for
themselves. I feel that allowing teens to vote would be
beneficial to society in general.