I don’t think as a 14 year old I had the nuanced experience of the world that I would want to be voting. No experience of life. No context. Just not had enough time to come to a considered conclusion.
At the other end of the scale I don’t think I’d trust most 75 year olds to set up an internet contract, let alone decide the future of a nation when they have no skin in the game. I think below 18 you’re probably still a kid. But if you’re old enough join the army and die for your country that seems like as good place as any to say you’re old enough to have a say on the country.
High schoolers are very much aware of the state of politics and also seriously impacted by it. Shouldn’t the people most impacted by school boards, who absolutely have the capacity to understand what school board members are doing, have a say in who those members are?
I think you’re really underestimating the capacity and life experience of teenagers. They’re people. Especially if you’re not just looking at upper middle class white teenagers. A lot of 14 year olds have jobs. Like not even just under the table stuff, like W2 employment. If you’re having taxes taken out of your paychecks that you earn you should 100% be allowed to vote.
I don’t think 14 is an unreasonable line to set, and I think anything above 16 is deeply unjust. Many countries have 16 as the voting age, including Cuba, Brazil, Austria, Argentina, and most of the UK’s weird territories like Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Ultimately I don’t even really think there’s a serious downside to letting any and every resident of the country vote. Regardless of citizenship status, regardless of age, regardless of felony status. Prisoners currently in prison should be able to vote. 5 year olds should be able to vote. Why not? It hardly matters, and it’s not like the 5 year olds demographic is gonna be making serious swings in polling.
Shouldn’t the people most impacted by school boards, who absolutely have the capacity to understand what school board members are doing, have a say in who those members are?
Yeah sure, but you can take that argument further, why not a 13 year old, why not a 12 year old etc… at some point you have to make a call on the maturity of a child in their ability to be decision makers who can make a sensible decision. As an alternative, I think youth councils who can feed into decision making in a real way (not a patronising toothless way) are a very good thing to feedback into the decision making system.
To turn your argument the other way though, should 85 year olds who are the most likely to be in receipt of social care and health care not have a say in how society provisions it? Additionally many old people are in work and paying taxes, surely they should get a say?
I don’t think 16 is a stupid age at all. Definitely a good argument to be made for that. Same with anyone paying taxes from their pay. In the uk that would be 16 - I can’t speak for the USA.
To be honest I wouldn’t trust either.
I don’t think as a 14 year old I had the nuanced experience of the world that I would want to be voting. No experience of life. No context. Just not had enough time to come to a considered conclusion.
At the other end of the scale I don’t think I’d trust most 75 year olds to set up an internet contract, let alone decide the future of a nation when they have no skin in the game. I think below 18 you’re probably still a kid. But if you’re old enough join the army and die for your country that seems like as good place as any to say you’re old enough to have a say on the country.
So I’d say votes from age 18-70.
High schoolers are very much aware of the state of politics and also seriously impacted by it. Shouldn’t the people most impacted by school boards, who absolutely have the capacity to understand what school board members are doing, have a say in who those members are?
I think you’re really underestimating the capacity and life experience of teenagers. They’re people. Especially if you’re not just looking at upper middle class white teenagers. A lot of 14 year olds have jobs. Like not even just under the table stuff, like W2 employment. If you’re having taxes taken out of your paychecks that you earn you should 100% be allowed to vote.
I don’t think 14 is an unreasonable line to set, and I think anything above 16 is deeply unjust. Many countries have 16 as the voting age, including Cuba, Brazil, Austria, Argentina, and most of the UK’s weird territories like Jersey and the Isle of Man.
Ultimately I don’t even really think there’s a serious downside to letting any and every resident of the country vote. Regardless of citizenship status, regardless of age, regardless of felony status. Prisoners currently in prison should be able to vote. 5 year olds should be able to vote. Why not? It hardly matters, and it’s not like the 5 year olds demographic is gonna be making serious swings in polling.
Yeah sure, but you can take that argument further, why not a 13 year old, why not a 12 year old etc… at some point you have to make a call on the maturity of a child in their ability to be decision makers who can make a sensible decision. As an alternative, I think youth councils who can feed into decision making in a real way (not a patronising toothless way) are a very good thing to feedback into the decision making system.
To turn your argument the other way though, should 85 year olds who are the most likely to be in receipt of social care and health care not have a say in how society provisions it? Additionally many old people are in work and paying taxes, surely they should get a say?
I don’t think 16 is a stupid age at all. Definitely a good argument to be made for that. Same with anyone paying taxes from their pay. In the uk that would be 16 - I can’t speak for the USA.