OPINION: The voting age should not be lowered to 16

Graphic by Christopher Kim

Editorial by Sean Campbell

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Lowering the voting age to 16 gives power to those in our society who are still growing in maturity and have a minimal stake in the actions of the government.

The last time the voting age was lowered was through the 26th amendment in 1971, which lowered the age for voting in all elections from 21 to 18. The reasoning was that our young soldiers who were dying in Vietnam should at least have the right to vote for the leaders who were sending them there.

What is the reason to lower it now? To create the habit of voting earlier? Because 16-year-olds are more involved politically then they ever have been? I understand the political landscape changes but the last time it was lowered, it was necessary to uphold the ideals of our democracy which I just don’t see in these arguments.

Jim Deboo, former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom and owner of the political consulting company Deboo Strategy, said legislation is unlikely to pass to lower the voting age. “It’s much harder to make that argument for 16 year olds who have yet to be deemed adults,” he said.

Without the direct experience that adults have with governmental processes, 16-year-olds are less likely to form their own opinions on key issues making them easily impressionable by their surroundings. “Apathy can dominate as young adults shift from their parents and guardian’s financial protection, which sometimes gives a false sense of what ‘real life’ looks like,” Deboo said.

That is a big part of why government and economics are taught to high school seniors, so right before they enter adulthood they are given the tools to make informed decisions for themselves on the ballot. Tools that 16-year-olds don’t necessarily have.

‘Oh but I do, so I should be able to vote right?’ Well no, if all laws were made like the world would be a mess, there is a reason why not even the president is above the law. The law is and should be based on the average, when most Americans are ready to vote, not the exceptions. Imagine if the speed limit said 65, but 70 for good drivers. That’s the start of a slippery slope towards the dominance of those who are well educated and privileged, over our political system.

Increasing voter turnout and political among young people, candidate selection rather than lowering the voting age should be the focus. If nobody is excited about a candidate then what is the point in voting.

I can’t even count the number of times I have heard someone say “I don’t want to vote for either of them,” referring to the frontrunners for the two major political parties, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The parties have lost their view of the political center, discouraging many young voters from voting as neither side represents their beliefs. In 2022 only 1.3 million of 6 million (22%) able voters under 35 in California voted.

Furthermore, 16-year-olds are not developmentally the same as 18-year-olds, but according to the National Institute of Mental Health, “The brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s. The prefrontal cortex, is one of the last parts to mature. This area is responsible for skills like planning, prioritizing and making good decisions.”

Now those qualities seem important for the people that elect the President.

I’ll just give you one more statistic before I end this article. 194 out of 264 responses to a HUB Instagram poll said that the voting age should not be lowered. Maybe if this was a representative poll of the whole United States you could make an argument against that, but this is a largely 19 and under voting base from an ultra liberal town.

If these aren’t the people that we are making this change for, who is it?