Lower the voting age to 17

by emptypockets

I've tossed around this notion twice in passing recently, but let me take a minute to lay it out with a little (very little) more substance.

Why is the voting age 18?

The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 during the Vietnam War, when individuals too young to vote were being drafted. Although several states had already lowered the voting age, the highest minimum voting age was set nationally by the 26th Amendment, reading "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age."

Note that it doesn't say no one younger than 18 shouldn't be allowed to vote -- just that no one older than 18 can be denied the right to vote.

Why lower the voting age now?

Ideologically, simply because I think 17 is old enough. The child-adult boundary is increasingly drawn at 16: the federal chld labor laws apply to those 16 and under, the age of sexual consent in most states is 16 or 17, and the military's minimum enlistment age is 17 (though that does require parental consent, and the minimum combat age is 18). In recent years the army has been aggresively recruiting in high schools -- in some cases, VERY aggressively. In fact, No Child Left Behind said that high schools were unable to keep military recruiters away from students without forfeiting federal funds. I think that if you can drive, work, have sex, and join the army, you are grown-up enough to vote.

Politically, because it is a win for Democrats across the board. What's more, we are approaching perfect storm conditions for this kind of movement. There are about 4 million 17-year-olds in the US, who are overwhelmingly Democratic. Young people are being drawn into politics like never before through the Obama campaign. We are heading into an election where a major defining contrast is between youth and age. We have a Republican party wrapping itself in "support the troops," who will find themselves taking a stand against the rights of the youngest military personnel. At the state level, Democratic governors are in the majority for the first time since 1992, and half of our Democratic governors control states that Bush won in 2004. Even if we can't reasonably lower the voting age before November -- and, frankly, I don't think we can -- a campaign to do so at the national and at the state level would further energize the youth movement, would underscore the differences between the parties, would put Republicans in an uncomfortable position, and would lay the groundwork for real change in coming years.

How would we do it?

I can imagine two ways. First, Congress could either pass a Constitutional amendment or a law lowering the voting age to 17. The Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government can't set the voting age for state elections (that's why the current voting age is set by a Constitutional amendment), so if Congress passes a law it would need to be written so that 17-year-olds could vote in federal elections but not on state ballots, a recipe for confusion at the polls. One way around this might be to treat 17-year-olds nationally similar to the way Americans abroad are treated, who can vote in presidential elections but not on state matters. I have no idea how this would work.

The second approach is a series of state-level laws or ballot initiatives. This approach has the advantage of keeping the movement local, building local activism, getting young people learning the political system from the bottom-up. And, as noted above, Democrats control the governorships of 14 red states, and swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania. Lowering the voting age in a few swing states alone could have as much impact on the election as a national measure might.

Summary

Lowering the voting age to 17 would add a few million Democrats to the rolls, capitalize on the youth-powered movement that Obama has begun, and put Republicans in the uncomfortable position of arguing that the youngest enlisted military personnel should not be allowed to vote.

Comments

[emptypockets]

I'm not on facebook or myspace, but if you are, please consider passing this link around. That is the community I'd want to reach.

(As an aside, a couple hours on reddit brought yesterday's post 2000 extra views. The readership on these networking sites is amazing.)

[Sara]

My State Legislator, who has been in the Minnesota House since 1972, believes the voting age should go down to about 12, at least for state elections, on the grounds that a significant part of what the State Legislature does is Education, and kids between the ages of 12 and 18 are very much the constituancy for (or targets of) this policy.

Her point -- adult advocates have not done all that well for this population, could they do worse for themselves?

[Ron Russell]

My question is towards what end? Even with Obama-mania, I don't expect 18 year olds to show up in November and we would be foolish to count on them, given the record. If they could be counted on, Howard Dean would be sitting in the White House and no, the "I have a Scream Speech", wouldn't have mattered.

[Ken Muldrew]

"I think that if you can drive, work, have sex, and join the army, you are grown-up"

No booze?

[emptypockets]

Sara, for a while I've thought that parents should get an extra vote for each dependent they claim on their taxes. Certainly, more government policies than education -- everything from the national debt to nuclear proliferation -- would be more wisely decided with the next generation's interests in mind, yet those interests have no representation in government!

Ken Muldrew, all at once??

[Ken Muldrew]

Isn't that what polling stations are for?

[Nazgul35]

I would imagine that it has something to do with the ease of voter registration.

If you lower the voting age to 17 or 16, most of these kids will still be in school. It would be very easy to get these guys registered to vote, and it could increase voting in the future...

Something the bad guys never ever want to have happen.

Perhaps tying the drinking age, driving, age of consent and voting...constitutionally, to the same age.

In other words, if the drinking age is 21, driving 17, consent 16 and voting 18, the state would have to pick one of these ages where all kicked in at the same time.

That being said...I say 16 for everything.

[Nazgul35]

emptypockets said

Sara, for a while I've thought that parents should get an extra vote for each dependent they claim on their taxes.

Do we call it the 3/5ths compromise? We would only have to change the word slave with children...

>:>

[Mike]

I think 17 is acceptable to get voting rights. But, I cant imagine twelve year old going to vote for even in the state elections. Thanks for the link to Army Recruiters story.
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[Alyx]

I really think 18 is low enough, most kids at 18 don't even think politics or watch the news really!!! I know I didn't at that age. I think I became more involved and aware around 21. I think 18 should do the trick due to the enception into the forces or being considered a legal adult is vastly around the 18 age mark.

[Nathan]

So... what age is it possible for the government to draft us into the military at? 18.

The draft doesn't give us a choice, so they wanted us to be able to vote if they took away our freedom to chose whether or not to go into the military.

If we want to lower the voting age, we should lower the age required for the draft, too.

[aquart]

Have we considered the scientific proof that the brain has not fully developed? That judgment just ain't the greatest that young? Which is why so many young drivers are roadkill? In my state, we rolled the drinking age down, for instance, then rolled it right back up again when we couldn't keep up with the funerals.

But it's a great age for peer pressure, and compelling the young to do whatever the alphas of their school are doing...a perfect opportunity for demagogues to seize control. Hitler Youth anyone? Or those fine young people organized to rat out their parents by Savonarola? Or, simply, consider the influence of Entertainment Tonight.

We do want our kids voting the way Britney votes, right?

[symberly britton]

I think that 16 year olds should be able to vote and shouldn't because a lot of teenagers don't take things seriously but most of them do so it may be a good thing and it may be a bad thing but should at least be givin a chance

[blurb]

I think the age should be changed to 16. 21 to 18 was a change of 3 years, so why is just 2 years such a dramatic issue? Cold the adults of this nations get over themselves, and consider that they were 16 once, (even if it was 3 centuries ago) and that denying the right for others is denying themselves.

[Jim Bob]

The reason Nixon was in favor of the 18 year-old vote was it was a gimmie.

He could claim being for youth voters, while being completely confident that few would show up at the polls to affect his election, or any election.

Still true. Voters 18 to 25 have the lowest percentage of voting and registering of any population.

[tom]

Hi, i'm 17 and interested in politics (also doing it as an A level). However i would not trust the majority of 17 year olds voting, many of whom are still immature and have no knowledge of the countries political position. All i can say is wacky and nationalist parties would be on the rise.

[amy]

thanks to everyone who posted a coment you all gave me enough info and ideas to wright my paper on what the voting age should be.
I think that the voting age is fine at 18 I mean why go through the hassle of changing it to only be one year younger and I don't think it should go any younger than 17
bet you would be surprised to find out this is comeing from a recently turned 15 year old
well thanks again to everyone you all were a great help.

[amatta zigstersa]

gayyyyyy

[amatta zigstersa]

voting sucks...why would you vote??? if 17 year olds can vote then they should be able to be slaves. peace

[Justin]

I will not vote until the voting age is lowered, regardless of what my age is. I call it Abstivote and I think it will work.

[Jimmy]

I'm 19 and I think it should be raised to 21ish. I don't think most new adults are going to understand what these healthcare plans, homeland security distribution, cause of death penalty, and the real issues with governmental taxing is. Most kids still have their parents paying for everything up to 19 and some companies will pay further. I think once you hit 21 you're getting a better grasp of your life on your own. No offense to the current candidates, but I do like what Mccain stands for and some of what Obama stands for, but I think Mccain supporters are going to be more of republicans and people who believe in his issues. Obama's supporters are going to be Democrats, people following him because of his race, and people way too young to vote. Race is definitely the wrong way to vote.

[Phill]

While I do think that the consideration of allowing a 17 yr old vote may have some merit, I have to say that the bipartisan reasoning behind it is emblematic of all that is wrong with the country. It is not about what is right and healthy for our country, and I understand that whatever party you may identify with you believe yourself to be right, but it has become a competition between parties for the right to rule, rather than the right to serve. Politicians, including both parties representatives, talk the talk but history has shown that generally all that happens, regardless of which party holds the majority, is that the rich get richer and the self righteous get louder. When will we make decisions not based on our party but based and rooted in what is intrinsically right, not based upon what we want to be, but what on what needs to be. We need to wake up and start making moral choices that are based on intrinsic truth and the substance of real morality, not what tickles our fancy. If not, we are truly heading down the path that will lead to our decay. If you want 17 yr olds to vote, make the decision because it is right not because it sways the pendulum in the favor of one party or the other. Aren't you sick of this mindset yet?

[booz gets the vote]

I agree with the 19 year old and others who think that those not old enough to be trusted regarding drunken driving (i.e. 21) should be entrusted with a vote regarding property taxes and other "adult" matters.

As for the 3/5th vote idea, perhaps the way to help the country is to try out 3/5th of a vote for each man and woman who divorce after having kids.

[Phill]

Too much knotting, not so?

I agree with the 19 year old and others who think that those not old enough to be trusted regarding drunken driving (i.e. 21) should *NOT* be entrusted with a vote regarding property taxes and other "adult" matters.

As for the 3/5th vote idea, perhaps the way to help the country is to try out 3/5th of a vote for each man and woman who divorce after having kids.

[Jagmohan]

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[Jagmohan]

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[Kaila]

Those "adult" matters you discuss however affect those 18 and under as well. I, being 17, pay taxes, abide by laws, etc. Should I not be allowed to have a say in all of these matters? Doesn't that go against one of the things this country was founded on.."No taxation without representation"? Not to mention the fact that the only people, even those 18 and older, that actually go out and vote are the ones who care.

[Amanda]

I agree with lowering the voting age to seventeen. I think that if you are going to regulate a seventeen-year-old's cufew, the rules of their driving, their education, and their rights as citizens in the future, they should have the right to vote. Also, if you are going to take money for Medicare and Social Security from their hard-earned paychecks even though they most likely won't see a dime of it, you should allow them to be represented. If you don't, that's taxation without representation, is it not?
When these seventeen-year-olds itching for the right to vote for the representative they feel will protect their planet and country for them are denied their vote, that's like saying such issues are not important, because the people in power won't be around-or responsible-by the time things such as air quality and our economy have deteriorated. On that note, why is it that younger people don't vote. This economic crisis is going to effect them most, seeing as their generation, along with following generations, is going to have the burden of paying off our immense debt. AS a seventeen-year-old, I think it's about time younger citizens started fulfilling their civic responsibilty and voted. I only WISH I could vote. Why aren't those who can taking advantage of that right?

[Amanda]

"Have we considered the scientific proof that the brain has not fully developed? That judgment just ain't the greatest that young? Which is why so many young drivers are roadkill? In my state, we rolled the drinking age down, for instance, then rolled it right back up again when we couldn't keep up with the funerals.

But it's a great age for peer pressure, and compelling the young to do whatever the alphas of their school are doing...a perfect opportunity for demagogues to seize control. Hitler Youth anyone? Or those fine young people organized to rat out their parents by Savonarola? Or, simply, consider the influence of Entertainment Tonight.

We do want our kids voting the way Britney votes, right?"

If we go along the road of considering scientific proof, we'd have to raise the voting age to 25. Scientifically, our brains don't fully develope until about that age, and the last part of our brain to develope deals with thought processes and decision-making. I don't think that's very realistic, and I don't think we (seventeen-year-olds) are incapable of making informed and independent decisions. It's a secret ballot, and adults are just as vulnerable to peer pressure as teens, it just comes in more sublte forms. And the people taking the time and responsibilty to register and then go out and vote are probably not as suceptable to the clever persuasion of our hip-hop idols.

[lynn]

i had skimmed over a blog post and at first it didn't really upset me, but after reading more and more of them with different people saying the same thing, it made me mad. really people? like you think that 17 year olds aren't capable of voting?! all it is is a simple check mark on a ballot for gods sake. there are 10 million americans that vote WHO DONT HAVE A HIGHSCHOOL DIPLOMA. 17 years are more likely to beat them in that case already! so many uneducated people vote, and they base their votes off of stupid no good reasons like appearance. now i'm not saying that the voting age should neccessarily be 17, i'm just saying that don't think 17 year olds can't handle the responsibility, cause that's BULL.

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