Should You Have the Right to Vote Now?

Throughout our 241-year history, Americans have taken many steps to develop a country in which every citizen is represented.

All of our voting rights amendments today seem like common sense—of course African-Americans and women should be allowed to vote! The decisions made by lawmakers affect them too. This begs the question: Will we be saying the same thing about teens decades down the line? Plenty of other countries—including Argentina, Austria, and Brazil—have lowered the voting age to 16, and the United States should join them.

Thanks to technology and social media, today’s teens are more informed and involved in our communities than ever before. We’re quickly and easily able to connect with people all across the country to discuss what we care about most. And right now, many decisions are being made about issues that directly affect those under the age of 18, including college affordability, environmental conservation, LGBT+ rights, and health care. Plus, many teens have jobs and pay taxes on their wages, so shouldn’t they have a say in how the government spends that money? It’s evident that to have a more inclusive American democracy, we need to allow those 16 and older to participate in the discussion. 

In addition, we should be encouraging civic engagement for those in their formative teen years. If we can trust youth with the lives of others while driving a car, why don’t we trust them with a ballot? When we tell 16-year-olds that their voice does not matter—that their vision for their country needs to be put on hold for two more years—we are teaching them to become apathetic to a system that seems to have forgotten them. We are depriving them of the opportunity to participate, and even more dangerously, we are telling them that they aren’t responsible for their country, a lesson that might stick with them for the rest of their lives. 

Let history be our guide: The more inclusive our country, the better we can create an America that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people. 

Although we’re all eager to make our voices heard, most teens are just beginning to form their own political opinions.

And it’s for precisely this reason that most 16-year-olds simply aren’t ready for the incredible privilege of voting. Right now, most of my peers are still reiterating what they hear their parents say about politics. It doesn’t matter if their parents’ opinions are based on facts—those kids need to be able to convey their ideas and thoughts in their own words, not someone else’s.

In our fast-paced society, we get much of our information on the fly—but no matter how clever you feel repeating what an adult said or quoting a political meme you found on the internet, you need to be able to make up your own mind.

And sure, some of us might be starting to figure out our true beliefs through reading and mature reflection, but we all still lack the life experience to help us know what issues are most important to us. We need more time to develop educated opinions through observation, reading, and thoughtful discussion. If we’re given the right to vote at 16, we won’t have enough time to reach that level of enlightenment.

Of course I realize there are some teens out there who have been paying attention for years, but they are certainly not the norm. To them, I say take this as a chance to help your peers catch up and become informed so in the future we can all cast educated votes together.

At 18, high school will end and we’ll start making important decisions, like where to go to college or what career to pursue. And by this point, we’ll all likely have had jobs and started paying taxes. We’ll have had more time to experience how the world works and the responsibility that comes with being an adult, and we’ll be ready to speak up. Until then, we’ll have to be patient and absorb as much political knowledge as possible.