When considering whether or not lowering voting ages would be a good decision or not, I believe that lowering the voting age to 16 or 17 would be a good idea. For one, I have been working since I was sixteen years old, and the responsibility to hold a job and be an employee is one that nearly every American shares. If 16/17 year olds’ paychecks are being taxed, then why shouldn’t they be allowed to vote? Additionally, many 16 and 17 year old teenagers are able to drive and conquer other responsibilities like taking care of siblings and family members. We, as teenagers, are often seen as impulsive and irresponsible, but that is usually the complete opposite of many of us. We drive ourselves and others to school, work, to and from home, and often are helping our parents with errands or other jobs. I have personally been interested in politics since I was around fifteen, when I realized I wanted to be a lawyer. If I am not able to participate in town, county, or city voting polls that could directly affect me, how would I be prepared for adulthood? Many of the town and city and state voting polls affect teenagers, whether it is about school or technology or social issues. 16 and 17 year old people should be able to vote in these polls because we are the ones who are being directly targeted, and we should be able to state our opinions on it.
On the contrary, I can see why some would believe that lowering the voting age would be unwise because of the social media influences placed on many teenagers every day. Social media is filled with bias, falsities, and truths, and we teenagers see it all. However, many of our elders seem to forget that they have been taken in by the media for their political beliefs their entire lives as well. Even if they weren’t as easily accessible or in the palm of their hands, those older than the younger generation grew up on magazines, newspapers, and television news channels, where politics were always pushed into the narrative. Yes, our social media pops up after one single tap of a pointer finger, but with the easily accessible media, we can also find out hundreds of different sides to a story. This allows more room for creating our own opinions on politics, which contributes to our political knowledge and makes us smarter when discussing voting and elections.
