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Pros And Cons Of Why 16-Year-Olds Should Not Vote

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The article, "16-Year-Olds Want a Vote. Fifty Years Ago, So Did 18-Year-Olds", talks about the pros and cons of why 16-year-olds should or shouldn't vote. I believe that the voting age in the United States should not be lowered to 16, because they are not mature enough, and their argument is not as strong as the one in the 60's.
16-year-olds should not be allowed to vote because most are not mature. Representative Mark E. Green said, " We don’t allow a 16-year-old to buy a beer, and the decision making is because of their ability to reason at that age,”. If we can't let a 16-year-old have beer because they can't reason properly, then why should they have the power to vote. In another interview, Jennifer C. Braceras said, "At 16, most kids have little awareness of politics, civics or American history, and they have little life experience to inform their decisions,”. This shows …show more content…

In the article the author states, "They are at a disadvantage compared with their counterparts 50 years ago because they don’t have the 'old enough to fight, old enough to vote' argument." This tells the reader that they do not have a true, and strong argument. The 18-year-olds in the 60's had the argument that if they could go to war, they should have the right to vote. Additionally, the article states, "At 18, 'people are out of high school, they’re working, they’re drafted, they’re full participants in our society, and if you’re a full participant, then you should be allowed to vote,'”. This quote shows that 18-year-olds are already having an adult life, making adult decisions, like voting and joining the military. On the other hand we have 16-year-olds with an argument about how they've "earned their right at the table"; this is not a good argument compared to the one in the 60's arguing how they could go to war, and live like adults, but not

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At the age of 18, one has new rights associated with being independent. One also has new responsibilities and are held personally accountable for their actions. The new rights that come along with being 18 lead into the topic of the 26th amendment. Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 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.

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Ever since the 26th amendment was passed, eighteen year olds were allowed to vote. This new voting age led to this new age group showing less representation than older groups. It was then thought of in the Montgomery County to try and change this, so they lowered the voting age to sixteen. This new way of thinking was brought up to try and bring up the amount of young voters they see less of in elections. I support this new change because it seems like a good idea to let younger people have the chance to voice their opinions.

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Given the general dejection that faces this state political process currently, changing the voting age to 16 and upward will really get young people thrilled. Allowing 16- years old and upward the right to vote while still living with their parents would encourage a habit that will continue once they leave their nest. Teenagers who come from a non-politically active household tend to take on their parents political views, if such teenagers sees other teenagers participating in a local election, they would be encouraged to turn out putting behind their inherited non political participation views from their parents. Teenagers are the future of the states, the voting age adult who don’t turn out during election will soon expire and the youth who will eventually make it an habit to go vote will replace

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According to a survey by National Public Radio, young people can be identified as young adults at the age of 18 as the brain is fully developed and the young adults can think and make decision like another mature person. Almost each and every country has its legal voting and driving age as 18. If a person has the right to choose the president of a country and drive on the roads which requires a lot of responsibility because its the question about the safety of other people on the road as well the leader who has to lead the country in each and every possible way which requires maturity. If a person is capable of taking responsibilities like electing the president and driving then I think that the legal age to drink should also be 18 instead

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If young adults at the age of 18 are old enough to vote and enlist in the army, then why can they not purchase and consume alcohol? Over the years, the set drinking age has been a controversial topic among society. Some people believe the MLDA (Minimum Legal Drinking Age) should stay at the age of 21 because it is safer for their kids. However, lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 would change the standards of alcohol as it encourages those of legal adulthood to make responsible decisions as adults, learn to control binge drinking and promote less automobile accidents. To further explain, 18 is the age of majority therefore young adults are mature enough to make their own decisions.

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Some will make the claim that by age 18 an individual’s brain is not yet fully developed, and thus incapable of comprehending the responsibility that comes with drinking. But by that same logic, someone who is 18 shouldn’t vote either. If they are incapable of being responsible for themselves, how can they be trusted with the power to make a decision that will ultimately affect up to 350 million Americans? And yet, they are trusted with that power. Next comes the argument that the drinking age should not be lowered for the reason of health, but if this is the case then why are 18 year olds allowed to purchase cigarettes?

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They are able to join the military, vote during elections, and many other things because they are an "Adult". So the main argument for lowering the drinking age is that if you are considered an adult you should be able to go out and have a drink or two without having to hide it and drink irresponsibly. The main argument against this is that at 18 the individuals brain is still developing and alcohol could have a chance to disrupt that. Some of the problems that come along with drinking while your brain is still developing is depression, greater chance of addiction, violence, suicide,

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and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption. I feel that this is a good argument but, this is what I say, while eighteen year olds have the right to vote, in many others respects they have not reached adulthood. Biologically, their brains are still developing, few support themselves economically, and most importantly many lack the emotional maturity and judgement to use alcohol safely (Drinking Age). Even though they are old enough to fight for our country is doesn’t mean they are mature enough to handle alcohol correctly. Especially when he or she is put in stressful environments.

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When a child turns 18, they open to many more responsibilities than any other teenage birthday. When a child is 18, they are not considered a kid anymore, they are adults. One of the many perks of being 18 is kids can vote and they can enlist in the army. In 1984, President Reagan had signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, and this required all states to set the drinking age to 21. If an 18 year old can enlist in the army, and put their life at risk they should be able to drink alcohol at 18.

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The voting age should be lowered to 16 because youth will vote thoroughly, 16 is a better age to start voting, and voting will provide an intrinsic benefit to the lives of young people. Firstly, it is best for us to lower the voting age because young adults will vote thoroughly and make the right decisions. Alternet says that young voters are likely to vote in much the same way as their parents, not because they are coerced to do so but because or shared values meaning that there will be no worries that irresponsible teenagers will make wrong choices. National

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