Why The Voting Age Should Be Lowered

When you ask experts what the single greatest threat to American Democracy is you are given several different answers. Some may say foreign influence, others will claim that things like crippling debt, economic hardship, wars, healthcare and even corruption will bring down democracy. However, we have never stopped to consider that the American People may be the reason that democracy dies. Specifically through voter apathy. The youth vote, which encompasses 18 to 29 year olds, has continuously fallen in the United States since the early 1900s. Generations like Millennials and Generation Z have had been the source of the greatest decrease in civic activity in United States history. These two groups of young people are far less likely to vote, contact a politician, or even participate in basic civic duty in comparison to their parents and grandparents. This trend towards complete voter apathy not only has the power to skew our priorities, but also has the power to ruin American Democracy.

Let's first begin by asking ourselves why this is so detrimental to our governmental system. Most will tell you that the youth vote has always had the lowest voter turnout of any age group in the United States; therefore, we do not need to worry that less Millennials and Gen Z's are casting their ballot. Although true that the youth vote is always lower than other age groups, these specific generations are significantly lower than the youth vote in previous years. In 1966 the percentage of 18-29 year olds who voted in congressional elections was 31%, compare that to 2010 where the percentage landed at around 20% of eligible voters. Fewer and fewer young people are going to the polls which means that fewer and fewer viewpoints represented in our institutions of government. However, many may argue that the decrease in youth voter turnout is attributed to a decrease in overall voter turnout. Take that same data for congressional races and we begin to see a much larger trend. In 1966 overall voter turnout is about 55%, compared to 2010 where turnout for eligible voters is close to 42%. Although this data does show a concerning decrease in voter turnout, I would argue that it stems from the low youth voter turnout rather than general apathy from all age groups. For instance: voting blocs on the basis of age never maintain the same crop of people each election. Every year people get older and shift from one age group to another. This would mean that the already apathetic youth vote is consistently invading older age groups, systematically lowering the percentage of eligible voters that cast their ballots. Furthermore, when one examines Millennials (those born between 1981-1996) we begin to see this analysis in the empirical. When Millennials became of voting age, they were labeled as the most apathetic voting bloc ever. They provided the U.S. with the lowest voter turnout rate among young voters in United States history. Although interesting data, what's arguably more interesting is that, as they have aged into their thirties and forties, they are still classified as the most apathetic voting bloc in history (the title often toggles between Gen Z and Millennials.) This shows that as the 18-29 year olds out grow the title of "youth voters," they take their apathetic ideals with them to the next age group. Meaning that, slowly, the government of the United States will resemble an oligarchy rather than a republic as only a few voting individuals hold the power.

So what can we do to counteract this trend? The most radical answer would be to abolish the voting age entirely. I know as some of you read this images of babies crawling up to polling stations and voting for cookie monster plague your imagination. However, the idea isn't as radical as it seems. Take an institution like religion: every religion begins to indoctrinate their followers at birth (barring you don't convert.) Most baptisms occur very young, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs occur at 12-13, as well as several other initiations rituals that occur at a very young age. Furthermore, for many in the United States, some of their first memories are of attending a religious ceremony. Add these traditions to the fact that 77% of adults in the U.S. claim that they are religiously active, and you get a recipe that is proven to keep people engaged. Compare that, however, to the 58% of people who voted in the 2016 presidential election and you recognize that the government needs a different model. Most attribute religion's success in maintaining attendance to the fact that they are able to recruit children much earlier in life. This strategy allows religions institutions to make attendance, prayer, and participation a habit that continually brings people back each week. This type of turnout in relation to voting can be achieved if we were to abolish the voting age.

However, there is usually several concerns that people hold when abolishing the voting age is proposed: The first concern is that critics believe that children are extremely easy to coerce. They believe that, if a child were allowed to vote, they would most likely follow the lead of their parents or a respected figure without throughly researching and formulating beliefs. However, the same argument was used to prevent Black People and Women from gaining the right to vote in the 1860's and 1910's. Furthermore, if one was to look past the historical argument, they would see that children are actually one of the hardest groups to coerce. 40 to 50 years ago the voting age was a completely necessary restriction. Many children couldn't receive news or ideas from more than one or two sources (most often their parents) which would absolutely make them easy to coerce. However, due to the fact that children have increased knowledge of the internet and how to use it (as compared to other age groups) they are able to research and immerse themselves in different viewpoints more effectively than older generations, making them extremely aware of any candidate's ideas and standpoints. If someone were to even attempt to coerce a child (barring the fact that it is illegal as stated by 18 U.S. Code § 594) a child would most effectively be able to research the coerced idea or platform and be able to decide for themselves if they agree with the idea. Another concern vocalized is that children often do not pay taxes, therefore they have no real idea of the amount that will be taken out of a person's paycheck at the end of the day. Therefore, they should not be allowed to vote as they are not a contributing member of society. Although a valid concern, there are several adults and college students who do not work and are dependent on either a spouse or a parent to pay their expenses (including taxes.) However, neither of these demographics are believed to be freeloaders leeching off of good people's tax dollars; thus, we should not pass the same judgment onto our children. Furthermore allowing them the chance to vote gives them an avenue to begin contributing to society in a meaningful way, furthering their connection to the country and its decisions even more. Finally, although not an argument against abolishing the voting age, allowing children to vote ensures that every voice in the United States is heard. Rather than siphon off important programs like social security or neglect issues like climate change that will directly affect children as they grow older, allowing children to vote forces lawmakers to consider the future of the country rather than the here and now.

However there is one limitation to allowing all children to vote. The limitation is that, before puberty, the rational decision making portion of a child's brain is underdeveloped. This means that they would be far more susceptible to make a decision that might be viewed as extremely irrational to an educated adult. This means that abolishing the voting age is probably a little too radical a fix for this issue. However we can still replicate the model religious entities employ by drastically lowering the voting age. The optimal age to lower the voting requirement to is 14. Choosing 14 to become the new voting age is ideal for two reasons. The first being that most children have already entered puberty by this age. Most girls start puberty from around 8-13 years old and most boys start puberty around 9-15 years old. Choosing 14 allows almost every child to enter into the final stages of puberty, and as a result, develop the rational decision making portion of their brain. The second reason for lowering the voting age to 14 is that it allows children to gain a greater understanding of government. Another concern often brought up by critics of lowering the voting age is that children won't have a basic understanding of government when they go to make an important decision of electing a politician. However, most states mandate that a "civics" education be taught to children by eighth grade. This ensures that all children (by the time most would be eligible to vote) have already been taught about the basics of government. This coupled with the unlimited amount of knowledge at a child's fingertips, via the internet, allows them to dive much deeper into specific laws and ideas and truly be an informed voter.

Although lowering the voting age will not completely solve the issue of voter turnout in the United States, it does allow for the percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballot to rise exponentially in comparison to the amount that cast their ballot now. By attracting and allowing children to vote early, the practice becomes a habit and children are much more inclined to exercise their right to vote at all stages of their life. Furthermore, lowering the voting age makes the American system of government one of the most representative in the world. It ensures that lawmakers look to improve the lives of all people in the United States and not just those who vote. Children are directly affected by most issues but they are unable to effect impactful change by voting. 1 in every 6 children in the United States live in the most adverse of poverty, they go to schools that are underfunded and poorly managed, and they are the ones that have to clean up the messes that the generations before them make. If we are going to force the children of the world to fix the problems that we create, we should at least let them have a hand in making them.

Citations:

Holbein Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Education, J. (2020, May 26). Why so few young Americans vote. Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/why-so-few-young-americans-vote-132649

Youth vote in the United States. (2020, August 01). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_vote_in_the_United_States

Keeter, S., & Igielnik, R. (2020, May 30). Can Likely U.S. Voter Models Be Improved? Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.pewresearch.org/methods/2016/01/07/measuring-the-likelihood-to-vote/

Centre for Policy Alternatives. (n.d.). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.cpalanka.org/

18 U.S. Code § 594 - Intimidation of voters. (n.d.). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594

U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious. (2020, May 30). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.pewforum.org/2015/11/03/u-s-public-becoming-less-religious/

The Population of Poverty USA. (n.d.). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.povertyusa.org/facts

Library Guides: Post-Election 2016 Recap & Resources: Voter Turnout. (n.d.). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/post-election-2016/voter-turnout