The 26th Amendment to the constitution, passed in 1971, set the voting age in the United States to 18. Today, 15 states allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections, and campaigns have been working to lower the voting age nationwide. Lowering the voting age will allow more of America’s teenagers to become politically aware and improve their civic engagement.
Prior to the 26th Amendment, the voting age was set at 21, but the Vietnam War draft of men ages 18 to 20 influenced lowering the voting age to 18. The Senate document accompanying the 26th Amendment explains that the voting age is 18 because younger citizens are “fully mature enough to vote, bear all or most of an adult’s responsibilities,” and can “influence our society in a peaceful and constructive manner.” Setting the voting age to 16 would allow younger citizens to accomplish this.
The campaign Vote16USA works to extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds and raises awareness of the issue of lowering the voting age. The Vote16USA website lists that the voting age should be lowered because it encourages civic learning, helps youth that are affected by political issues, makes voting a habit and can help the youth demographic in elections.
Leading up to the midterms, there was a large campaign to increase the voter turnout of voters ages 18 to 29. The campaign was successful, with a 31% voter turnout nationwide, a 10% increase from 2014. With issues like gun control and education directly affecting teenagers, it is only fair that they are able to be politically active.
Costa senior Chase Pinkerton held a mock election on Nov. 2 with many of the same positions and offices as the midterm elections. Almost half of the students at Costa participated. This large turnout proves that students at Costa, and teenagers as a whole, are ready to get informed and vote. According to Pinkerton, the purpose of the mock election was to give students the chance to let their views be heard and to give students experience with voting.
Out of the eight positions in the mock election, including governor and senator, almost all of the Costa winners match up with the results of the real midterms. These results show that teenagers are paying attention to politics and have views that mirror those of eligible voters.
Currently, the argument against lowering the voting age comes from concern that 16 and 17 year olds are not mature enough to vote responsibly. However, other countries such as Austria and Scotland have proven that lowering the voting age will cause more young people to become politically active and will help to make voting a habit at a young age. An increase in civic education can also ensure that young people vote responsibly.
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