[W01f]

while those of us who are under 18 who are not so, do not get the right to vote.

How old are you?

neither should those who are too old to comprehend simple things.

What is "too old to comprehend simple things"? Seniors who do not develop dementia aren't exactly comparable to children mentally. They still retain their knowledge and life's experiences, they just think a little slower. Those who do develop dementia probably don't vote anyways.

[Kman]

Since like 95% of young people today are pretty stupid I think this would be a bad idea, in these times of crisis we dont need more voters that reward idiotic/incompetent politicians.

Besides as I recall the brain is not fully developed for a 16 year old, so they shouldnt be given voting power.

[tyler933]

while those of us who are under 18 who are not so, do not get the right to vote.

How old are you?

neither should those who are too old to comprehend simple things.

What is "too old to comprehend simple things"? Seniors who do not develop dementia aren't exactly comparable to children mentally. They still retain their knowledge and life's experiences, they just think a little slower. Those who do develop dementia probably don't vote anyways.[/quote]

I'm 16.

Too old to comprehend things is basically over 70 or 80. I don't think there should be an age to vote, you should have to take a test as it proves you are not just a mindless product of propaganda. It would also have it's flaws, but I fail to see why a 23 year old who doesn't understand politics should vote ahead of me, a 16 year old who does care about politics quite a bit.

[Stormsmith]

I know a few pretty smart kids, but I'd prefer to raise the age to 21. I would also like legislation that ensured no one under that age could be conscripted.

[Guillotine]

while those of us who are under 18 who are not so, do not get the right to vote.

How old are you?

Also, pertaining to the discussion, I don't want to see the voting age lowered because it would make campaign commercials even more obnoxious. Imagine McCain trying to rap about his stance on abortion to connect to a younger crowd >> not that it would matter, though. How many 16 year olds do you think would actually go through the trouble of registering and voting?

The electorate (at least in the United States) is ignorant enough as it is

Truth. The system needs to be fixed before legislatures fuck with or even consider fucking with the voting age.

[Lightman]

I'm 16.

Heads up, this forum has an age limit. Sorry, but your account will likely be deactivated shortly.

[The Immortal Goon]

Other:

If you're old enough to be prosecuted as an adult, you're old enough to be legally considered an adult - with all the good and bad that come with it.

[W01f]

Too old to comprehend things is basically over 70 or 80.

What are you talking about? There's no such thing as too old to comprehend things. They either get dementia or they don't and die with a healthy mind.

Regarding a test, it would be pretty easy to cheat. It also wouldn't guarantee someone is able to think for themselves and make their own decisions, only that they know the answer to a few set facts. Parents could make their 10 year olds study for the test, but a 10 year old inherently cannot make an informed decision in an election.

[Mazhi]

No - Status Quo (18 for most countries)

[Nets]

No - Raise the age

Make it 21, with a literacy test. (Yes, I am aware this has racial baggage in the States.)

[Figlio di Moros]

No - Raise the age

Make it 21, with a literacy test. (Yes, I am aware this has racial baggage in the States.)

I think that's not going far enough, myself; I'd advocate 35 as the minimum age, although a lot of people advocate 25 and I'd be happy with that compared to 18, but we need a lot more than a mere literacy test. Ecomonics, law, civics, military policy, etc... A test ought to cover a fair amount of subjects to ensure a voter is well-informed, not just reading capabilities.

Other:

If you're old enough to be prosecuted as an adult, you're old enough to be legally considered an adult - with all the good and bad that come with it.

That's an overwhelmingly simply way of viewing the discussion; no government can survive without intellegent leadership, and in the case of democracy, an educated and mature franchise is necessary to secure it. It's bad enough we have college students with no real world experience, opening the franchise to even younger and more immature kids with no real world experience would be the exact opposite of what we need.

[Rojik of the Arctic]

Other: Nobody

Democracy is a perverse form of political expression that allows the weak to flourish.

[Rancid]

No - Raise it to 25.

[Figlio di Moros]

Other: Nobody

Democracy is a perverse form of political expression that allows the weak to flourish.

Unless the franchise is properly restricted; open franchise democracy is ridiculous, but there are means to restrict the problems with it.

[redcarpet]

No.

Only a few countries have the voting age below 18, they're dictatorships like Cuba, Iran and North Korea. The reason(s) why should be obvious

[Meslocusist]

Other: A voting test in order to test one's knowledge of the candidate and the extent to which one understands their positions. Yes, this test might become biased, but with proper safeguards it could be a good way to distinguish people who are eligible to vote from those that aren't.

I don't think changing the voting age would affect the election very much. In the 17 Scholastic kids elections since 1940, 15 of them or 88% have voted with the winner anyway.

[The Immortal Goon]

That's an overwhelmingly simply way of viewing the discussion; no government can survive without intellegent leadership, and in the case of democracy, an educated and mature franchise is necessary to secure it. It's bad enough we have college students with no real world experience, opening the franchise to even younger and more immature kids with no real world experience would be the exact opposite of what we need.

If this is true, then someone punished as an adult also had "no real world experience" and cannot be culpable to the crime. I'm not saying that the voting age should be younger, just that rights and responsibilities are a fair fulcrum with which to balance the idea.

If you can make up your mind and legally be responsible for the actions, you should get the good and the bad.

[Beren]

Let people vote between 25 and 75 only. The others are just too young or too old to vote. It's a matter of time of life, not intelligence or anything else. Age is a significant factor itself. Almost the same case as driving licence.

[dudekebm]

I'd say raise the age to 21. I wouldn't say have an upper limit however. I would however have a test on basic civics along with some basic history questions and questions on current events (like a driver's license) in order to get a voter registration card, which would have to be renewable every year (or set time period no longer than 5 years). The test would weed out those whose mental faculties are encumbered by age, just like the driver's license with the mandatory vision test after you reach a certain age in some states.

[Donna]

I've always considered the possibility that those who are too stupid to vote, generally don't vote anyway. If a 16 year-old is conscious enough of the society around them to go out of their way to vote, I don't have a problem with that.

Some of you are cynically hostile toward young people. Voting ages at 25? That's idiotic. Some people make their first million before then.