Keep the Voting Age Where It Is

Student Essay by Cate Owens

        In the article, "The Case for Lowering the Voting Age" by Kathryn Ziai, the author speaks of the maturity of teens. Using the teen rallies and sixteen-year-old drivers as grounds for their maturity, she does not acknowledge all the facts. Though teens can be mature, very few of them watch the news, read articles, or form their own opinions. In a society of influencers and politicians, it seems so easy just to listen to the screen and ignore the fact that the person just contradicted themselves multiple times. When you turn eighteen, you are legally eligible to vote in the United States, and you start to form your own opinions about the world you live in. In contrast when you are sixteen, you are still lawfully under parental control and, though you have opinions, your parent or guardian’s guidance will have an influence on your life. The age gap between 16 and 18 might not seem that big; however, that's two years of opinions, experiences, and understandings yet to be made.

        When you hear something abought politics, the last thing that comes to your head would be the saying “fake it till you make it,” but, in the political world that is exactly what happens. This tendency could be dangerous for an inexperienced teen who just does what the politician is saying and doesn't do any research. Teenage votes could end up putting the wrong person in the Oval Office, and that is why it's important to listen to the older, more mature voters around you.

        One of the best things our founding fathers promoted was free speech. Americans may express their beliefs to anyone anywhere, but when the newspapers are corrupted, and newscasters are bribed, it is hard to know the truth from fallacy. Even most adults have a hard time finding the lies, and when those sixteen-year-olds take the blatant lie as truth we might as well kiss democracy goodbye. Children, tweens, and teens need to come up with their own opinions in their own time, and I believe it takes a full 18 years to strengthen and formulate an adult belief system. It would be better to wait the extra two years than to vote for someone who will turn their back on you when you need them. It is important to talk to your child before they turn 18. Talk to them about the importance of voting, how it's not supposed to be taken lightly, how it’s a responsibility, and how when we vote we're not only deciding our fate but the fate of others. We need to keep the voting age where it is, or we risk the young teens of America ruining what our forefathers worked so hard to obtain. In this world, they will get manipulated and pressured, so let your teens have freedom if for only two more years. Before they must face the harsh and unforgiving world, let them feal the freedom in the purr of a brand- new car without the thought of taxes, the rush of speaking out their beliefs without fear of losing their job. Let the teens be kids for a little while longer.