Should We Really Lower the Voting Age?

Student Essay by Emma Hutchins

        “The Case for Lowering the Voting Age” written by fourteen year old Kathryn Zaia, expresses the author’s personal opinion that the voting age should be lowered to sixteen. Miss Zaia believes that young voters would take the responsibility of voting more seriously than adults and that teens should have the faculty and right to vote.  As she stated: “By the time we turn sixteen, shouldn’t we be permitted to vote and given true power to shape our futures?”  In contrast to Miss Zaia’s opinion I believe teens should be more concerned about how our elders are handling their responsibility of voting rather than trying to fix the problem by allowing sixteen year olds to vote. Because teens already face peer pressure, insecurities, and a plate full of new responsibilities, allowing them to vote is ill-advised.

        As soon as you get to a certain age you do suddenly have responsibilities to take on, but why add another block of responsibility to the tower? Katherine Zaia states that since teens are already acquiring other responsibilities, they should be allowed to vote, but I believe the opposite is true. If you’re really taking voting seriously, it is a big task to research and make decisions on who and what you support. I have found that my growing responsibilities are plenty for me to handle myself, I don’t care to add more. 

        Due to all the pressures affecting  teens today, it would be unwise to let sixteen year old's vote. Social Media has influenced teens to blindly agree with pretty much anything they hear or see. Influencers continually encourage the younger generation towards biased information and propaganda, which teens typically accept without much criticism of the material. 

        Social and peer pressures could sway a teen’s voting choice. No one wants to look dumb or counter-cultural. As a teenager, I understand the powerful urge to just “fit in” and follow the crowd. This insecurity in teens holds them back from making wise decisions at times, and when you're dealing with leaders of a nation it would be a mistake to fumble. 

        Teens must realize the extreme importance of our leaders, and that voting is not something we should take on lightly. There is no doubt sixteen year olds could vote, but whether they would vote with full discretion is debatable. Much consideration and criticism should naturally come along with deciding whom to vote for. Adding the additional pressure and responsibility of voting for our county, state, and nationals leaders would be foolish.  

        I’d argue that, instead of teens trying to lower the voting age, they should encourage adults to take the responsibility of voting more seriously. Teens can get involved in many ways other than  voting. For example, teens can continue to learn about politics and gain insight from parents and teachers. They can actively research candidates, review articles, watch and analyze debates and speeches, and stand up for their beliefs. We, as teens, can be diligent with the responsibilities we are given now, while better preparing ourselves for the ones to come.