LEAD ED 12
Old Enough to Advocate
The voting age should lower to 16 for local and state elections
V
oting is a privilege, not a right. Do 16 year-olds deserve the opportunity? While the 26th amendment approved lowering the voting age to 18 in response to the outcry “old enough to fight, old enough to vote,” today it is brought into question whether 16-year-olds should be allowed the same responsibility. Advocates of such argue that the increased spread of technology has led to a dissemination of information, giving students the opportunity to build their political viewpoints. Additionally, lowering the voting age would force political candidates to consider how their decisions affect the younger demographic. Vote16 USA is a national campaign that supports efforts to give 16- and 17-year-olds voting rights at the state and local level. Allowing 16-year-olds to vote at these levels could serve as a ‘testing ground’ to determine whether they are responsible enough to vote in the national election. Because it is easier to both make an impact and see the changes brought within the community, students may be more interested in future elections, and; therefore, take
ILLUSTRATION // Rachel Kwon
the time to educate themselves. To measure whether this local engagement makes for a more productive and inclusive democratic society, the results of such elections could be compared to the preferred choice of the younger demographic. In a 2019 poll conducted by The Hill, 84% of registered voters opposed allowing 16-year-olds to vote. Opponents often cite immaturity as a reason why the voting age should not be 16. According to social scientists Tak Wing Chan and Matthew Clayton, 16-year-olds would not be able to make reasonable
political decisions as “research in neuroscience suggests that the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, is still undergoing major reconstruction and development during the teenage years.” Another potential issue with 16- and 17-year-old voters is the massive spread of disinformation through social media and the lack of civic education. Nevertheless, a solution to this could be media literacy and civics classes weaved into the curriculum as early as eighth or ninth grade. From organizing Black Lives Matter rallies to phone banking for campaigns, students have found several ways to stay politically engaged. By already advocating for big issues, they have shown their ability to stay informed, and should therefore be allowed to vote in local and state elections as a trial deciding whether they can maturely vote in the national election.
