A proposal to allow 16-year-olds to vote in federal and local elections recently cleared committee in the District of Columbia and is likely to pass since 8 of the 13 council members have already expressed support:
At the same time there a proposals to restrict voting of elderly. For example, here is a proposed ban on retirees in Britain from voting on the Brexit referendum since they were more likely to vote to leave the EU:
Under the 26th amendment to the US constitution, anyone 18 and older has the right to vote in federal elections. There is no restriction on lowering the age, but instituting a maximum voting age appears to be unconstitutional. Here the text of the amendment:
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
On the other hand, states can and do revoke voting rights of the elderly based on mental incompetence as from dementia or other medical problems. States have enacted laws to require extra testing or medical exams for drivers over a certain age under state driver’s licensing laws; could they do the same for older voters?
If the proposed National Popular Vote Compact reaches the necessary 270 electoral votes, could states lower their voting ages to 16 or even lower to increase their popular vote in presidential elections?
Older voters tend to be more conservative than younger voters. Do you see possibilities of gaming voting age and competency laws to give a political advantage?
In all honesty, the way we vote is in desperate need of reform. There was a great episode of the Freakanomics podcast lately going into the two party duopoly.
The constitution says that no one 18 and over can be denied the right to vote based on age, but many people are denied voting rights for other reasons such as felony conviction, mental incompetence, etc.
A simple way to discourage old people from voting is to require medical exams or testing to prove that they a mentally competent such as those that are already required for drivers. For example, if someone is banned from driving based on a medical condition such as dementia, the state could logically declare them incompetent to vote as well. The burden would shift for the old person to prove that they are still competent to vote.
I find it ironic that DC raised the smoking age to 21 and the age for a full driver’s license to 18 but is looking to lower the voting age to 16.
DC is saying that 16-year-olds are competent to decide the future of the country but they are incompetent to drive or to decide whether to buy cigarettes.
It’s damn near impossible to get even a third of 18-25 year olds to vote in a major election. If they want to extend the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds so they can ignore it too, more power to them.
As for the elderly, they would burn down every Cracker Barrel in the nation if anything here were seriously considered. Not gonna happen, especially not if one party feels they’d be at a severe disadvantage should it ever come to pass.
Not sure how wise it is to grant voting rights to 16 year olds. How many, as the article claims, are actually raising families? Seems to me teen pregnancy is down, not up.
How many are primary breadwinners? Ir working full time, investing in 401K or purchasing their own health insurance, or choosing a group funded plan?
Seems to me this age group is less informed, and, as part time workers, have less at stake than 17 & 18 year old high school grads & military & civilian full time workers.
Yeah, no. Millions of Americans make irrational decisions and don’t demonstrate any more critical thought than a 16 year old. Even despite their physiological advantage.
How many seniors are still primary breadwinners, working full time job, investing in a 401k or purchasing their own health insurance?
Seems to me that this age group is easily hoodwinked and has less at stake than those who will spend their whole lives living with whatever laws, rules and policy is enacted.
