If kids voted, Bush wouldn't be in office

Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, No, I don't think the voting age should be lowered. In fact, I think it should be HARDER to vote. It scares me how many people go into the booths and punch/press/pull on issues they know NOTHING about. There was a letter to the editor in a recent local paper written by a guy who was going to vote straight party Democrat because he was "just too tired to take all that time to learn the issues and fill in ALL of those little ovals". (for the record, I'd have been just as appalled if he'd said he was voting straight party Repub)

Yes, SOME HS kids are pretty sharp. But more and more, I'm finding that kids don't know the basics... I recently talked to kids (16-18 years old) who don't know who Paul Revere was, or what the Civil War was about. They have no idea how the government works. And to be more current, when asked what they think of Bush, they don't like him because "he's a dork". No political reasons, no knowledge of issues, nothing. Sorry, but I don't want people voting for president that way.

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This old bat remembers when it was 21. I was barely 22 when I cast my first national vote in 1960 - for JFK. I rejoiced when it went to 18.

I have no problem with a lower voting age but I'd like to see more civics taught in the schools along with it. They couldn't possibly do any worse.

Speaking of the schools, my youngest had a peculiar homework assignment last night. She was told to watch part of the Oakland Raiders game. There would be a quiz. We did it and fortunately I know enough about football to separate offense from defense but it will come up at our next school conference.

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I can't believe they had kids watching football the night before the election!

I'd agree, if there's anything that needs to change, it's better civics education. I remember moving away from Ohio at 14, having never known the name of an Ohio state rep.

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Why kids are allowed to drive, and are deemed responsible enough to make decisions in that regard and yet are assumed to be too ill educated to vote has never made any sense to me.

In my experience, the younger generation is more interested in what's going on politically than many adults, and this is only squashed as they reach adulthood. And many of the adults that vote, MANY, have absolultely no idea why they vote one way or the other, but do it because that's how they've always voted.

Getting kids interested in the election process early can only help produce adults who are vested in the process. Why would a high school kid want to know, since it won't apply to them for a few years anyway? I know I felt that before I could vote until a friend of mine ripped my head off about it.

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I don't believe we should lower the voting age. I emphatically agree with LS that it should be HARDER to vote. A very small percentage of voters really understand the long term consequences of what they are voting for, or against. Instead people vote on "emotion." They are anger at how things are, so they think voting against whoever is in office will be better. Many people today are just plain angry at authority figures, so ANYTHING that represents taking responsibility for themselves is revolted against. I believe in "trusting your intuition", but politics is one area where critical thinking skills are required. Let's get the adult population understanding what is really happening in the world first...THEN, maybe we could begin to educate children so they are actually ready to vote when they turn 18.

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I'm politically active locally. When I was involved in a petition signing campaign a couple of years ago I had to explain over and over (to adults) what a filibuster is and who John Roberts is.

Believe me it isn't just the kids who don't have a clue.

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This country was founded on the principle of "by the people, for the people".....and unfortunately, some people are idiots. But they have just as much right to vote as anyone which is what makes this country great. So, the question is....do you become an adult at 18? Well, they let you drive at 16 (in my state and I think everywhere else) and they can charge you as an adult if you commit a crime, so why not let a 16 year old vote? I think an idiot 16 year old who would throw away his vote for a candy bar would still be an idiot who would throw away his vote for a candy bar at 18 and even at 30.

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I'm currently picturing some guy at the polls, a 30 year-old chocolate fiend, agreeing to vote one way or the other, taunted by a party rep seductively waving a candy bar in front of his face.

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it would depend on the candy bar for me, i'm not giving up my vote for some crappy milk chocolate doodad. i still have tons left of the stuff my kid scored for me, so it would have to be a super-duper candy bar.

back to voting. i work with teenagers, and I agree they are probably as informed politically as most twenty (and many thirty) year olds I know as well. It's just your average erikson developmental maturity levels that play a role here, kids go from complete naval-gazing to eventually being able to see the world from a more objective perspective. I know I was not so aware of my world as a teenager, through no fault of my parents or school or anything, I just liked boys a lot and was completely caught up in my own world. it's not until you experience life a little more that you become more aware that there is a world out there that you are merely a part of, not the center of. that said, I would be fine w/ 16 year olds voting. I agree, if the legal system (wrongly, IMO) can declare them adults in terms of state of mind when committing a crime, then why not give them the right to vote for the people who will create or abolish those laws? go for it.

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I think you should be able to vote at any age as long as you can name the 3 branches of government, site the difference between a democracy and a republic, and give at least 3 substantive reasons you are voting for a particular person. This would eliminate over half of our voting public.

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Many of you brought up a lot of issues I agree with. I will not spend time repeating all of them.

I would like to say this regarding the voting age. Are all of you who agree with lowering the voting age also prepared to give up the parental responsibility at that lower age. If they can vote, go to war, and go to jail as an adult(i'm sorry but some heinous crimes committed by juveniles deserve adult punishment, imo) then they are no longer under your care, tutelage or rules. Are you prepared to give them up at 15 or 16yoa?

Just a thought.

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I think it should be lowered. You'd be surprised how much most kids know about the past. I think there should be something that prevented some kids from voting prior to the age of 18 though. Perhaps scoring X grade in their history class, or taking a going to an after school class once or twice a week to learn about each person running.

I think some adults need that class more than some kidsm actually.

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It's a straw man argument, anyway, since the majority of young people don't vote anyway. Only 47% of young people ages 18-24 voted in the 2004 presidential election (compared with 75% for age 65+). I worked with the Florida League of Women Voters doing registration on college campuses and most of those kids could not have been less interested in politics.

Those of you who would like to make voting harder...that's a pretty elitist argument, don't you think? There is no intelligence or education level required to be able to vote. Last time I checked this was a democracy, not a meritocracy. Statements like that are one of the big reasons Democrats have come to have such an elitist reputation. Ultimately, it hurts the party when Dems portray themselves as better than other people (not saying the original posters were Dems...just observing).

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Hey, thanks for noticing New Moon's discussion! I read all the girls' responses to our questions about voting, and I was a little surprised that more of them didn't advocate for a lower voting age. But I interpret that as evidence that they take voting seriously.

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This whole discussion reminds me of that scene from The Breakfast Club where the smart kid has a fake id, and when the others ask him why he needs one he says (as if it was a stupid question) "So I can vote". I often wonder at why so many people vote who don't even know what's going on (or why so many people who DO know don't vote). I don't think lowering the voting age would really accomplish anything by itself. I don't think it really matters that government affects kids. People are always voting on things that don't affect them directly--today I had to vote on homestead exemptions for seniors and disabled veterans. I don't expect to live in this state when I am a senior, so those don't apply to me, but I voted on them anyway.

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I think that voting is your duty. So no, I dont think that it should be harder to vote. Who would decide who was "smart enough" to vote??

I also dont think the voting age should be lowered... because along with that would be the "civic" education that will be tainted by the teacher teaching. No, I think it should be after high school is over and they are either out of school or attending a school.. that for the most part is not run by the government or their parents.

I do think that kids are becoming more informed.. I know my daughter is..

On a side note... if you have to be smarter to vote.. I suggest making it a rule to know how to actually speak our language proficiently and eloquently to be able to run in the first place.

Smart people should only vote.. but it is A-OK for sub par people to represent us.... LOL.

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