I do not think that the legal voting age should be lower from 18 to 16 because of the large proportion of uninformed teenagers, the impact/effect of their status as minors, and the lack of a formed individual identity. Many teens are not focused on politics and may have only heard or seen issues/candidates in passing. While not all adults closely follow politics, a greater proportion of them do than people age 16 and 17. In addition, there are tons of rules that set 18 as a milestone, including the status of being a minor, being able to join the military, and being able to serve on a jury. These rules are in place because before 18, kids are meant to be in school and not be an adult, and if the voting rules get changed then there would be questions about reevaluating these other rules. Finally, many teens do not have individual political identities and may be more easily influenced by friends and especially family rather than voting for themselves.
One reason that people believe the voting age should be lower from 18 to 16 is because people can work and pay taxes while being able to vote. While this can be viewed as unfair, it is a temporary issue as you will gain the right to vote soon, maybe even before the next major election. In addition, other people like foreign citizens and felons pay taxes without the right to vote. Also, in many states people younger than 16 are allowed to work and pay taxes, so if the voting age is lowered to 16 then there may be a push to further lower the voting age if the argument is based on paying taxes without the right to vote. Since paying taxes without the right to vote is a temporary issue for teenagers and many other people pay taxes without the right to vote, I think the voting age should remain at 18.
