In the wake of tragedy, kids are ready to fight. After the horrific act of violence at Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and faculty members were killed, the students are calling for change.
At the front lines, students are calling out politicians and advocating for gun control. Since they are high school students, many are not old enough to vote. This begs the question: Should the voting age be lowered to 16 years old?
The 26th Amendment of the United States Constitution states, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.” Originally, the voting age in the United States was 21 years old. In 1971, President Richard Nixon signed the 26th Amendment, allowing 18-year-old United State citizens to vote.
Voting is so important. Whether it be a local election or the next presidential race, every vote matters.
There is a maturity level essential to voting. The older you get, the more life you experience. Through experience comes learning and understanding. The more information we are exposed to, the more informed we are as citizens and voters.
According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, about 50 percent of eligible young people, between the ages of 18 and 29, voted in the 2016 presidential election. This mixture of millennial and generation z participants made up about 19 percent of the voters in the election.
When you’re 16 years old, you begin the view the world differently.
At the age of 16, you can get your driver’s license. This is the first of many milestones in a teenager’s life. When you turn 18 years old, you, legally, become an adult. I believe this is the appropriate age of a first time voter.
When I was 16 years old, I was uninterested in politics because I didn’t think it affected me. Politics weren’t a commonly discussed topic in high school, so I never took the time to understand what was happening in the world around me. I look back on it now and cringe at my own immaturity. I was so immersed in my own world that I didn’t care to learn.
It wasn’t until I entered college that I realized the importance of voting. I gained a perspective of what was happening in the country and created my own political opinion.
As an 18-year-old, I became educated on the differences between political parties and learned where my principles aligned. I realized that my vote matters. I wasn’t just voting for myself, but for the future of the nation.
I don’t think 16-year-old kids should have the right to vote, but I think those of us over 18 should exercise our right.
We must be the advocates for the next generation. We must listen to what they’re saying, because they’re right. If you can vote, go out and do it. Things need to change, and we have the power to change them.
