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should kids get to vote?
aol news ^ | Sept. 17 2003 | Geraldine Sealey

Posted on 09/18/2003 10:43:04 AM PDT by freepatriot32

Sept. 17 -- Americans may be getting used to the Terminator on the ballot. But can they handle his teenage fans in the voting booth?

Laura Finstad says yes. She works, pays taxes, and has been a political activist for years. And she's finally won the right to vote in the United States.

Her big accomplishment? Turning 18 last Saturday.

Finstad fumes about the law that made her wait so long and is campaigning for the voting rights of younger teenagers. The teen is gathering signatures for a petition to lower the voting age in suburban Takoma Park, Md.

"Young people have jobs, pay taxes, go to school to learn about government, and know about the issues," Finstad said. "We think 16 would be a fair age to be able to vote."

Supporters of lowering the voting age from 18, the national legal standard since the 26th Amendment was ratified 32 years ago, think the time for their issue has come. There's movement in several states and municipalities to give younger teens the right to vote.

In Baltimore, Md., 16- and 17-year olds voted in the mayoral primary on Sept. 9. An electoral quirk separated the primary from the general election by 14 months, and anyone who will be 18 during the general election was eligible to vote. Now, a prominent lawmaker wants to permanently extend the privilege to these younger teens.

The Cambridge, Mass., city council recently approved lowering the voting age to 17, and now the state legislature must approve the petition.

A Maine legislative panel in April approved, then reconsidered, extending voting rights to 17-year-olds. Similar legislation is being considered in Texas and California, and has been debated in Minnesota.

Youth voting rights advocates are also campaigning to lower the voting age in Florida, Hawaii, North Dakota, Anchorage, Alaska, and New York City.

Hot Topic Overseas, Too

The debate has caught momentum in Europe, as well, with Great Britain considering a proposal to lower the voting age from 18 to 16.

Globally, though, the most radical proposal to enfranchise youth belongs to Germany, where parliament will consider this fall giving children the vote from infancy, giving new meaning to the social policy "from cradle to grave."

Under the proposal, which would immediately increase the number of potential voters by 13.8 million, parents would vote on behalf of their children until they are 12, when the children could decide whether to allow their parents to vote for them.

A key rallying point for the German proposal is balancing out the political clout of the elderly, a growing demographic there, and boosting the political prowess of families. But U.S. advocates for youth voting rights say they're less interested in countering the power of the elderly than empowering people of all ages.

"The right to vote is essential, no matter who you are," said Alex Koroknay-Palicz, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Youth Rights Association.

Germany's proposal might be extreme, but supporters of youth voting rights here say it's a step in the right direction.

"As people begin to respect young people as individuals, parents will give children the right to cast their own ballot," Koroknay-Palicz said. "If it happens in Germany, it will change the law for the better. Then it will be a matter of changing the mindset and changing the culture."

Not Ready for Democracy?

Typically, youth voting rights supporters in the United States advocate lowering the voting age by a couple of years. They argue that teens often work, and should not be subject to taxation without representation, an American battle cry dating back to Boston Tea Party days.

Also, if teens went to the voting booth at younger ages, they would grow accustomed to casting ballots and more likely become habitual adult voters, advocates argue. Teens' political involvement would also boost the civic interest, and perhaps voter turnout, of their parents, say supporters of youth voting rights.

Critics of a younger voting age, however, say teens are not ready for democracy, and their participation as voters would not improve the electoral process.

"You're dealing with people who don't have any knowledge of or any stake in our democracy," said Curtis Gans, executive director of the Washington-based Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. "If they're lucky, they will have had one civics course before 16, and many won't have that. They're not parents, not homeowners, not raising children, and they're not in any responsible jobs."

Gans argues that younger voters are actually less likely than older citizens to make it to the ballot box on Election Day, so extending the vote to teens younger than 18 would damage already poor voter turnout.

Influence, With or Without the Vote

In Baltimore's mayoral primary last Tuesday, teens did not seem to be much of a factor in voter turnout. Approximately 2,400 16- and 17-year-olds registered to vote. Voter turnout was about 35 percent, matching the turnout for the most recent primary four years ago, the city elections office said.

Still, with 40 million young people between the ages of 12 and 19, teenagers should not be underestimated as a political force, says Sara Jane Boyers, author of 'Teen Power Politics.'

"They're thinking people. They're working, contributing and buying — they're a huge economic force," Boyers said.

Even when young people can't wield voting power, Boyers said, they can influence their parents' votes or use other political tools such as protests. "They want people to pay attention to them," she said.

With young, college-aged voters expected to be a swing vote in the 2004 presidential election, lowering the voting age could get more attention in the coming months. "I think it's going to continue to pick up steam," Koroknay-Palicz said.

"As people realize that young people have power in politics, they're going to key into their interests and desires. Lowering the voting age will come up as part of that."

09-17-03 11:49 EDT


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: adolescent; ageofconsentlaws; children; contracts; culturewar; drinkinglaws; drivinglaws; dumbingdown; get; juvenile; kids; minor; minors; should; to; under18; underage; vote; votingage; votingrights; waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa; worldopinion
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1 posted on 09/18/2003 10:43:04 AM PDT by freepatriot32
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To: freepatriot32
This is a very bad idea! Most teenagers don't even give a damn enough to keep up with current events. Why should they be allowed to vote?
2 posted on 09/18/2003 10:45:04 AM PDT by Destructor
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To: freepatriot32
Give me a break.
3 posted on 09/18/2003 10:45:55 AM PDT by freekitty
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To: freepatriot32
Yes, especially if they are illegal aliens with felony records. How else will Hitlery become President?

(sarcasm off)
4 posted on 09/18/2003 10:47:19 AM PDT by Argus
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To: freepatriot32
If you do not own land, or pay taxes, you should NEVER be allowed to vote.
5 posted on 09/18/2003 10:47:35 AM PDT by Mark Felton ("All liberty flows from the barrel of a gun")
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To: freepatriot32
This is an interesting topic...lots of the more libertarian-minded folks on here argue that there's no rational reason that 21-year-olds can drink but 20-year-olds can't. So if an 18-year-old can vote, why not a 17-year-old? I'm not sure of my actual feeling on the topic, as I haven't thought about it much. But it seems like that would be a logical argument.
6 posted on 09/18/2003 10:48:51 AM PDT by TheBigB (I don't believe in Astrology. We Scorpios are skeptical.)
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To: freepatriot32
In Baltimore, Md., 16- and 17-year olds voted in the mayoral primary

So, who's running for Mayor? Britney Spears or Eminem?

7 posted on 09/18/2003 10:50:04 AM PDT by Alouette (The bombing begins in five minutes.)
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To: Destructor
Why stop at kids? My dog lifted his leg on my tv once during a Clinton state-of-the-union, which makes him more astute than most MTV'ers.
8 posted on 09/18/2003 10:51:16 AM PDT by Spok
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To: freepatriot32
The top issue for teen voters would probably be: Lower the drinking age.

the most radical proposal to enfranchise youth belongs to Germany, where parliament will consider this fall giving children the vote from infancy, giving new meaning to the social policy "from cradle to grave." Under the proposal, which would immediately increase the number of potential voters by 13.8 million, parents would vote on behalf of their children until they are 12, when the children could decide whether to allow their parents to vote for them.

So, in Germany under this proposal, parents would be given more than one vote up to the number of children they have...?

9 posted on 09/18/2003 10:55:11 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (and growing increasingly weary of this screenname, too.)
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To: freepatriot32
I say raise the voting age to 35. If you're not old enough to run for President, then you shouldn't be voting for one.
10 posted on 09/18/2003 10:57:11 AM PDT by So Cal Rocket (End Judicial Activism Now!!)
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To: JustAmy; Mama_Bear; JohnHuang2
Another sly left move from the left coast.
11 posted on 09/18/2003 10:59:03 AM PDT by Calpernia (Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does.)
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To: TheBigB
I don't know about other libertarians, but my support for lowering the drinking age is based on this reasoning: If you're a legal adult at 18, old enough to fight and die for your country, you're old enough to handle alcohol. Making it illegal hasn't stopped them from drinking.

Still, with a teen vote, I can see the 15 and 16 year-olds voting to lower the drinking age to their level.
12 posted on 09/18/2003 11:00:57 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes (and growing increasingly weary of this screenname, too.)
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To: MeeknMing; firebrand; dansangel
I see your states listed here too. This is one to watch.
13 posted on 09/18/2003 11:01:53 AM PDT by Calpernia (Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does.)
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To: freepatriot32
They need to get the votes before the brainwashing starts to wear off.
14 posted on 09/18/2003 11:03:33 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (A faith in Justice, none in "fairness")
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To: freepatriot32
It should be just like share holders. You get one vote for every $100 dollars you pay in federal tax. Want more votes? Pay more taxes. Don't pay taxes? You don't get to spend my tax money. Why should people who have little or no money invested get a say in how that money is to be spent?
15 posted on 09/18/2003 11:03:38 AM PDT by Blue Screen of Death
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To: Calpernia
You betcha
16 posted on 09/18/2003 11:05:05 AM PDT by firebrand
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To: freepatriot32
No. This is as mind bogglingly stupid an idea as anyone could imagine - the maturity and reasoning ability are not present.
17 posted on 09/18/2003 11:07:09 AM PDT by Chancellor Palpatine (Just a mudblood RINO)
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To: Calpernia
If they can't use the punch card ballot, they should not vote!!
In California, Illegals can now obtain a driver's license and will probably be voting in another year so since the country is going to hell anyway, let them vote!

/sarcasm
Okay ..... No, I do not think that 16 or 17 year olds should be allowed to vote. I think voters should be paying taxes and supporting themselves before making decisions that affect all of us.
18 posted on 09/18/2003 11:08:59 AM PDT by JustAmy (God Bless our Military, Past and Present. Thank a Veteran for your FReedoms!)
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To: firebrand
Instant spokemen for the NEA.
19 posted on 09/18/2003 11:09:01 AM PDT by Calpernia (Innocence seldom utters outraged shrieks. Guilt does.)
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To: freepatriot32
I paid my first income tax at 15. At 16 I was head of a Young Republican Club and new every elected official in my area. I knew far more than most adults about what was going on in politics.

That said, hell no they should not vote. I suggest 30 as a better age, then again I think you should have a 120 IQ, own property, be a vet and have a college degree to vote!!

20 posted on 09/18/2003 11:09:54 AM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon (PEACE - Through Superior Firepower)
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