Free Republic

Critics are slamming U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s push to lower the voting age from 18 years old to 16, calling it a “terrible idea.” “It’s simply wrong,” MassGOP chairman Jim Lyons told the Herald. “Almost all 16-year-olds I know I don’t believe should have the privilege or the authority to vote. They simply haven’t matured to the level that they can make those types of decisions.” Lyons added that Democrats have prioritized raising various age requirements “in just about everything,” including for smoking, using tanning beds and the age for juvenile crimes.

The young people who have come forward to call for gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at their high school in Parkland, Fla., are challenging the tiresome stereotype of American kids as indolent narcissists whose brains have been addled by smartphones. They offer an inspiring example of thoughtful, eloquent protest. Unfortunately, when it comes to electing lawmakers whose decisions about gun control and other issues affect their lives, these high schoolers lack any real power. This needs to change: The federal voting age in the United States should be lowered from 18 to 16. Skeptics will no...

A small Maryland city just outside the Washington, D.C., city limits has voted to lower the voting age for city elections to 16. … The council also voted to allow convicted felons who have served their time to vote. …