Running Head: THE FUTURISTIC VIEW ON RAISING THE VOTING AGE 1

The Futuristic View on Raising the Voting Age

Should the voting age be raised to the age of twenty-one in the United States?

Word Count: 1290 (excluding in-text citations, footnotes, and references)

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The voting age in the United States has created a widespread debate over whether it

should be changed by raising or lowering it. Although the voting age is currently at the age of

eighteen, it is a common misconception to think that it was always at that age. After the Civil

War, Section Two of the Fourteenth Amendment required voters to be of the male gender, live in

one of the states, be twenty-one years old, and a citizen of the United States. Later in 1920, the

Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, allowing women to vote (Editors, 2018). By the time that

the Vietnam conflict arose, most states still had twenty-one as the minimum voting age.

However, there was a significant amount of pressure on Congress to change this. During this

conflict, an argument became popular that if men from the ages of eighteen and older were able

to be drafted to fight in Vietnam then they should all have the right to vote, which gave rise to

the Voting Rights Act of 1970 (Benson & Morley, n.d.). This act stated that eighteen was the

new minimum voting age for federal, local, and state elections. Later in 1970, the Supreme Court

decided during the case Oregon v. Mitchell that Congress could change the voting age to

eighteen for federal elections but did not have the power to change the voting age for state and

local elections. Congress then ratified the Twenty-Sixth Amendment in 1971, which lowered the

voting age to eighteen for all elections. The Amendment was quickly accepted because eighteen-

year-olds were seen as mature, able to influence society peacefully, and they bore many adult

responsibilities (Benson & Morley, n.d.).

Amidst recent events, such as the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High school shooting,

many young citizens are waiting for a call to action to change the voting age. These events have

had several advocates for lowering the voting age to sixteen, however, numerous supporters are

advocating to raise the voting age back to twenty-one (Tracinski, 2018).

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Several solutions have been discussed when concerning voting age and some of these

involve raising the voting age back to twenty-one. Those who support the idea of raising the

voting age argue that the Twenty-Sixth Amendment should be repealed. Eighteen-year-olds have

been argued to not be mature or politically aware to make decisions that would affect the United

States’ future elected officials and laws.

Experienced medical researchers, such as Sara B. Johnson1, Robert W. Blum2, and Jay N.

Giedd3, use magnetic resonance imaging to support their claim that the prefrontal cortex is not

fully developed until the mid-twenties. The prefrontal cortex is very important when considering

voting age since it is responsible for executive function control as well as judgment and decision-

making (Johnson, Blum, & Giedd, 2010). The researchers claim that those under the age of

twenty-one do not have the same mental capacities as a twenty-one-year-old. Those in favor of

raising the voting age use this claim by stating if eighteen-year-olds decision-making areas of the

brain are not fully developed, then they should not be given the right to decide the United States’

future.

Although the researchers support the age of twenty-one, their research suggests that the

age of twenty-five is when the brain is fully developed. If the voting age were to be raised to

1
Sara B. Johnson is an associate professor of pediatrics at the John Hopkins University School
of Medicine
2
Robert W. Blum is the chair of the Department of Population Family and Reproductive Health
at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
3
Jay N. Giedd is a practicing child psychiatrist who is also a professor at John Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Chief of the Brain Imaging Section at the Child
Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health
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twenty-five, the country may see more intelligent choices when voting and may see better

outcomes (Gatdula, 2018). Those under the age of twenty-five, however, might feel excluded

and without a voice which may cause problems and division for the nation. This calls into

question whether the voting age should not only be raised, but also raised to twenty-five if only

looked at from a neurological perspective.

When considering raising the voting age to twenty-one, there are several implications that

would follow. If the voting age were to be raised back to the age of twenty-one, one implication

of this solution concerns individuals who participate in the military who are under the age of

twenty-one. These individuals might be angry at the solution when they realize the sacrifice they

are making for the country but cannot vote in any election because of their age, bringing back the

debate that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1970. However, it should also be considered that

serving in the military is a voluntary act and those enlisting under twenty-one would have to

accept that they cannot vote if this were to happen.

Although many support the idea of raising the voting age to twenty-one, there have been

several other perspectives on what should happen to the voting age including lowering it to

sixteen. Voter turnout is an important factor when looking at the voting age debate, but recently,

young voter turnout has plummeted significantly. In 2014, voter turnout was at 17% for those

under the age of twenty-five in congressional races. The disillusionment of voting and seeing it

as a choice has affected young voter turnout by decreasing over the years, leaving the age group

as a minority when it comes to voting (The Economist, 2017). If the voting age were to be

lowered to sixteen, there may be a higher voter turnout for these younger voters because of the

increasing number of teenagers who are becoming politically involved. A lower voting age
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would give young voters a bigger platform and voice to express their opinions on political

matters.

Voting at an early age may also turn voting into a habit by getting people to vote at an

earlier age which could also increase voter turnout. Many of the victims of the Marjorie

Stoneman shooting that happened in early 2018 were under the age of eighteen when this tragedy

struck their lives and they advocated for their voice to be heard concerning gun control and other

policies. The changes the victims want to make are changes they can only instill by influencing

others (Nichols, 2018). If the voting age were lowered to sixteen, then these victims could vote

for the changes they see fit that the government should integrate and vote for the representatives

that represent their political ideologies. Joshua A. Douglas4 claims that there is no difference in

the cognitive development between sixteen and eighteen-year-olds, both being able to make

rational decisions based on factual evidence (The Washington Post, 2018). Thus, the debate on

lowering the voting age arose again after all the young teenagers peacefully protested for their

rights which they could not vote for.

Although it is necessary that the social, political, and scientific aspects are considered in

deciding what to do with the voting age, the future implications are also crucial in making this

decision which is why it is recommended that the United States change the voting age to twenty-

one-years-old. Even though those under the age of eighteen are becoming more and more

involved in political activism, it does not mean that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen

but instead be raised to twenty-one, an age where the mind is neurologically developed to the

certain extend needed and people voting at that age are politically aware. In order to address the

4
Joshua A. Douglas is a law professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law
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limitations of making sure only those from the age of twenty-one may vote, the Twenty-Sixth

Amendment must first be repealed and another Amendment must be made to the Constitution to

replace it.
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References

Benson, J., Morley, M. T. Common Interpretation: The Twenty-Sixth Amendment. Retrieved

from https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxvi

Chan, T. W., & Clayton, M. (2006). Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to Sixteen? Normative

and Empirical Considerations. Political Studies, 54(3), 533–558. Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2006.00620.x

Gatdula, J. (2018). Raising the voting age to 25. Retrieved from

https://www.bworldonline.com/raise-voting-age-25/

Johnson, S. B., Blum, R. W., & Giedd, J. N. (2009). Adolescent maturity and the brain: the

promise and pitfalls of neuroscience research in adolescent health policy. The Journal of

adolescent health: official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 45(3), 216-

21. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.05.016

Editors from History.com. (2018). Women’s Suffrage. Retrieved from

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage

Nichols, J. (2018). Lower the Voting Age to 16. Retrieved from

https://www.thenation.com/article/lower-the-voting-age-to-16/

The Economist. (2017). Why the voting age should be lowered to 16. Retrieved from

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/02/04/why-the-voting-age-should-be-lowered-

to-16
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The Washington Post. (2018). Give a Lower Voting Age a Try. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/give-a-lower-voting-age-a-

try/2018/04/13/d124b0ea-3e82-11e8-8d53-

eba0ed2371cc_story.html?utm_term=.124f021dc9ca

Tracinski, R. (2018). Why It’s Time to Raise the Voting Age Back to 21. Retrieved from

http://thefederalist.com/2018/02/27/time-raise-voting-age-back-21/