All american citizens are raised with the knowledge that they are required to participate in the governance of their nation. This is, perhaps, at odds with the execution of that participation. One of the issues with most individuals growing up in our society is one of agency. Many young people are told they are not ready to make decisions for themselves. That they lack experience and knowledge. Yet the age we live in is widely known as 'The Information Age.' We have access to more information than any civilization in the history of mankind yet well educated youngsters are purposefully kept out of the election process for fear of their interference with the system that they shall, in scant few years, be encouraged to participate in. A great many critics of lowering the …show more content…
A person should vote because they believe it is their duty as a citizen and because they belief in the process. Many people point out that elders tend to vote more often but I respectfully point out that older people have a habit of dying off at a fairly regular basis. Disenfranchisement with the establishment can be a life long mindset, indeed it may be that the system of government is creating groups of people who believe that voting is a waste of time, an idea that may be planted at a younger age. Once upon a time you had to be older than 18 to vote, many debates were held over the pros and cons but eventually the age restriction was lowered and it has had little ill effect on our society. I believe that lowering it further, to an age where many teenagers are considering their future and how best to prepare for it would have a dual benefit of forcing American youths to focus on planning their lives and building rapport with our system of