NationStates Jolt Archive

The government of Nerrethans encourages every nation that is tied to the U.N in any way to support the Voting Age-Defined to 16 proposal and to also raise awareness about the proposal to other nations as well.

Voting Age- Defined to 16
A resolution to increase democratic freedoms.

Category: The Furtherment of Democracy
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Nerrethans

Description: RECOGNIZING THAT: Many young citizens that live in the nations that are part of the U.N. are effected by what goes on in their nation and that they should have a voice in what elected officals are put in office.

RECOGNIZING THAT: Right now some nations have policies that require all people to be a certain age before they are eligable to vote. For most nations it is 18 years of age.

PROPOSING THAT: The voting age be set at 16 years of age in every nation that belongs to the U.N.


Thank you.

No. Our culture in Adam Island is such that 16 year olds are, generally speeking, not mature enough to make such important decisions. They are not allowed to open up their own bank accounts or to marry. They should not be allowed to vote either, although we do allow exceptions when a court ascertains that a minor is mature enough for the age of majority.

Other cultures may have an even higher age. Not everyone on all these nations is even homo sapiens sapiens, and there may be biological factors that limit the age of maturity to above 16.

Good idea though. Is there already a resolution against child abuse?

This could be seen as too large a step for some countries, some countries do not allow women to vote yet. In fact some of the UN members do no allow anyone to vote. Who are we to inflict a totally different governing style upon such nations, whether we agree or not?

As much as I would like to see voting ages lowered, I have to agree that differences between societies mean that setting one UN-wide age for pretty much anything is not a good idea. Perhaps you could make a resolution which said the UN "Urged" or "called upon" nations to lower their voting ages for humans if they were currently above 16.

Another point - at least one (NS) nation I know of has an age of majority (and I infer a voting age) lower than 16, and this resolution would force them and others like them to raise their voting ages.

Some nations also limit voting to the military. Lowering the age limit could force them to lower, or raise in some cases, the minimum age for military service.

I think this is a splended idea. If you decrease to voting ages, than it will make the children think more about the democratic process and might make more people vote.

All I hear from children is "I wish I could vote." and I think we, the members of the UN, should make this wish a reality, the kids are the future, so let them decide it for themselves.

I think this is a splended idea. If you decrease to voting ages, than it will make the children think more about the democratic process and might make more people vote.

All I hear from children is "I wish I could vote." and I think we, the members of the UN, should make this wish a reality, the kids are the future, so let them decide it for themselves.

And what about the nations who have a voting age below 16 that will be forced to raise the age?

Objection # 1
"effected" in your proposal should be "affected." Personal pet peeve. Look them up in a dictionary. Webster.com even.

Objection # 2
I'm assuming the author of this proposal is between the ages of 16 and 18. Whenever one thinks about restricting rights to a certain age, the limit is set at just below one's own age.

In the RL USA, this probably would not increase voter turnout in any significant way. That aside, the one thing that teenagers lack is perspective. I lacked it when I was 16 (and even 18 for that matter). This can't be overcome by simply legislating that it should be so.

You have every right to put forth this proposal, and the best of luck to you in getting approvals. I would most certainly vote against.

Although there are some younger people that do have strong political views I do feel that the majority probably don't know much about the inner workings of a government and the economy. Therefore I would like to suggest that should this proposal be accepted into the UN that each member country fins some way of educating these teenagers first perhaps adding an extra non-examined class to their school curriculums.

We must also be careful because although a lot of younger people do have political views and stand up for what they truly believe is better the majority will not know what to think and of course the politicians are likely to specifically aim their campaigns at those younger people seeing as there will be that whole undecided section of new voters waiting to be picked up. And the promises they make and perhaps carry out in these new campaigns may not be suitable for the country as a whole because it will allianate the rest of the population.

I think many older people would stop voting should the campaign be aimed at younger people or at least stop voting for the parties they regularly support.
Such an action could completly change the political face of a country.

This could be seen as too large a step for some countries, some countries do not allow women to vote yet. In fact some of the UN members do no allow anyone to vote. Who are we to inflict a totally different governing style upon such nations, whether we agree or not?

1) All UN member nations must allow their people to vote on some level of government in a democratic manner. (Resolution: Citizen Rule Required)

2) You can't prevent women (or anyone else) from voting or anything else selectively if you belong to the UN:

*Resolution:Gay Rights "hereby resolve that all member nations of the United Nations must pass laws protecting people from discrimination in all parts of life"
*Resolution:The Universal Bill of Rights "Article 4 -- All human beings have the right to be treated equally under the law of any member nation".
*Resolution:The Sexes Rights Law "Does Formally Recognise and Declare : That the rights of all sexes in society are equal".

3) We're the UN, baby. When you signed up, you gave us the right to mess with your country. Read the rules.

3) We're the UN, baby. When you signed up, you gave us the right to mess with your country. Read the rules.

Sadly there is no check, but at the same time there is nothing that prevents nations from advocating or even campaigning against resolutions they feel are intrusive.

why is it neccessary for a voting age? how about if your able to get to the poles yourself and read and even more understand it , then you should be able to vote!
:sniper: though I myself like Dictatorships!

The one brought up about whether or not they are even informed enough to vote yet is pretty convincing. And, membership in the UN doesn't guarantee you'll follow its rules. There are a surprising number I know of who don't.

:sniper: though I myself like Dictatorships!

I am a dictatorship, and I recently proved to someone that dictatorship != repressed nation with no economy and extreme tax rate. Hell, I have a lower tax rate than most NS democracies.

This proposal was written with the assumption that all UN nations are democracies. Of course, this is a flawed assumption, as not all nations belonging to the UN are under democratic rule.

This proposal has no business being brought to the UN floor, as it is something that should be taken care of on the national level, not international.

There's a surprising number I know of who got deleted today for NOT following the rules.

This is sort of a game mechanics proposal, actually. Yes, the UN is supposed to be able to mess around with your nation, but I don't think it can force you to be democratic. This would, technically, outlaw dictatorships. I would be interested to see what a mod had to say on this. No offense to the author, I can see your point on this, but this is a bit of a problem with that particular category.

Nostre Patrus also has a point, but that's where the UN's over-riding of national sovereignty comes in - to decide the voting age in DEMOCRATIC nations.

To Vastiva:

Just because you can do something does not mean that you should. The UN should be for nothing more than keeping the peace between nations, not for pushing one groups ideals onto the rest of the world. The few UN resolutions that pass, the better. Unnecessary resolutions only encroach upon the sovereignty of other nations.

The UN should be for nothing more than keeping the peace between nations, not for pushing one groups ideals onto the rest of the world.
This is a common misconception about the NationStates UN. From the UN FAQ (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=faq#UN):
The UN is your chance to mold the rest of the world to your vision, by voting for resolutions you like and scuttling the rest.
While the fine people of Frisbeeteria happen to agree with you that it would be nice if all the busybodys in the UN accidently fell under a few dozen buses, "pushing one groups ideals onto the rest of the world," is what we do here. Those who do so most eloquently or most persistently win.

Your idealistic view of a benign organization that looks out for the warmongers of the world is lovely, but unrealistic. Go ahead and subscribe to the "Offical I hate the UN (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=351794)" magazine. You'll be digging through back issues in a month or two like the other two-thirds of the NS world.

But it is a matter of ethics. We have the chance to, but should we? Just because we are able to mold the rest of the world does not mean that we must.

But it is a matter of ethics. We have the chance to, but should we? Just because we are able to mold the rest of the world does not mean that we must.

No, but we do anyway.

Voting has always been reserved to the states. Each state has it's own guidelines for elections, and it would be wrong on us to impose such an open question as what is the right age to allow someone to vote. And personally I think a 16 year old child who probably never watches politics, and has no financial responsibilities should not be trusted with choosing who runs a nation.

I read about politics, international and domestic. I turned 17 this summer. I like to think I had some sense of responsibility before now, and I have actual financial responsibilities now. I can and do inform myself about election candidates. Why should I not vote?

If you are arguing the "responsibility/intelligence" issue, then I must say that I have met 13 year olds more intelligent than many a retired senior, and 14 year olds as responsible as any adult. Contrariwise, there are grown people, far above the age of 30, who act like children.
Mental age is not determined by biological age apart from the extremes (I concede anyone below 4 would have trouble informing themselves). If you want a limit tied to mental age: It cannot be really objectively determined. IQ tests are senseless, and using them to dish out voting rights dangerous.

There are already lots of adults who fill out their ballots like they would a lottery ticket. What harm is there in adding to this crowd a few minors, compared to the benefit of allowing intelligent minors to vote? Voter turnout takes care of most of the really bad cases of apathy anyway. Those who don't care won't come to vote.

PROPOSING THAT: The voting age be set at 16 years of age in every nation that belongs to the U.N.


So you would stop my people voting for two years? The age of majority is 14 in my nation, and people get to vote in the Council elections at that age. If your proposal is passed then I would have to stop adults from voting for two years, which is not a great step forward for democracy in TilEnca.

So I would not support your proposal. Sorry.

Voting has always been reserved to the states. Each state has it's own guidelines for elections, and it would be wrong on us to impose such an open question as what is the right age to allow someone to vote. And personally I think a 16 year old child who probably never watches politics, and has no financial responsibilities should not be trusted with choosing who runs a nation.

But two years later, when they still don't care about politics, still have no financial responsibilities and pretty much just believe what they are told without question - should they be permitted to select a national leader then?

Seriously. Think about what you would be doing here.

Our empire is ruled by a benevolent dictatorship. We don't HAVE elections. If this were to pass, you would not only alienate our empire, but many other nations as well.

Not every nation is a democracy or a republic. We don't all hold elections.

This is purely a national matter, not international.

a sixteen year old in fischerton are of such a diciplined variety and so educated that they could vote in our resolutions if they were the representative for my nation

Reporting from the moderation forum:

Apparently, all nations vote, even if you select the issue that bans elections. (???) Resolution #8, "Citizen Rule Required", says so here (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=UN_past_resolutions/start=7). I guess they are just one-party elections, or "vote for me or be shot by my soldiers" elections. So therefore, this is not breaking any rules. Go right on ahead, and sorry for my post.

I speak of the general population, and truth be told the youth of this nation does not care about politics. And for most the only political views they see are those of their parents which means it will always be a biased opinion.

I speak of the general population, and truth be told the youth of this nation does not care about politics. And for most the only political views they see are those of their parents which means it will always be a biased opinion.
?
Biased opinion?

Opinions will always have a degree of bias - that's what makes them opinions.

And what about the nations who have a voting age below 16 that will be forced to raise the age?

This is a tough question to answer. We at Atheena would not want to disturb these nations by setting a voting age that is above their national limit. But, then again, some nations think it is wrong for a 12 year old to be voting, so they would want the Act to set an age limit of, for the sake of argument, 16.

Atheena supports this age limit, and suggest other nations to support it too.

Seriously. Think about what you would be doing here.

Our empire is ruled by a benevolent dictatorship. We don't HAVE elections. If this were to pass, you would not only alienate our empire, but many other nations as well.

Not every nation is a democracy or a republic. We don't all hold elections.

This is purely a national matter, not international.

I highly disagree, and I also agree. This is international. Voting affects almost every Nation in the UN, unless you are a Dictatorship, or any other form of government that does not have any type of voting. By putting a 16 yr. age limit on voting, would make more people vote. This would aviod having to make voting compulsary, which, to me, is plain wrong.

I suggest all nations in the UN, with voting abilities, to encourage other people to support this idea.

I highly disagree, and I also agree. This is international. Voting affects almost every Nation in the UN, unless you are a Dictatorship, or any other form of government that does not have any type of voting. By putting a 16 yr. age limit on voting, would make more people vote. This would aviod having to make voting compulsary, which, to me, is plain wrong.

I suggest all nations in the UN, with voting abilities, to encourage other people to support this idea.

I don't agree. First - as I have stated once or twice, people are permitted to vote from the age of 14 in my nation, so this would affect my nation in an adverse manner.

Secondly just because people can vote at 16 does not mean they will. The voting rate amongst my people has been steadily decreasing over the past fifty years, most notably amongst those who are first time voters - mostly those aged 14 to 17. I can find the exact statistics if you want them, but suffice to say people in my nation tend to support the idea that if they have the right to vote, they have the right to not vote as well.

I oppose this on those two grounds, and on the grounds that the age at which someone should be permitted to join in the chosing of their leaders is maybe the ultimately national issue, and not one the UN should be involved in.

no, 16 year olds are not mature enough to vote, i even question 18 but it is okay

no, 16 year olds are not mature enough to vote, i even question 18 but it is okay

You know this is a typical example of the problem with this type of legislation. You are assuming maturity for people you have never met and insulting anyone else while providing no evidence that you are able to do so.

Oh you can make the proposal but I've yet to give one reason why this would be a good thing. The 'increase democracy' thing isn't working, both myself and TilEnca would be hurt by this proposal. It assumes far to much.

Giordano,
UN representative,
The Black New World

What of UN nations that do not have a voting policy or suffrage at all?

This argument proves that voting should be defined by each nation, not by the U. N.

Here in Megsstate we believe voting should be 18 + some 16 yrolds are too preoccupied to vote like school exams socilising with opposite sex and most dont care about the voting procedure anyway. where at 18 they are more mature and have a greater understanding of the envireoment around them

This argument proves that voting should be defined by each nation, not by the U. N.

Totally agreed.

We see 16 year old children as children. They should not vote.

We see 16 year old children as children. They should not vote.

And we see 16 year olds as two years in to adulthood. So they should vote.

As someone (or countless someones) have stated - this should be a national issue, not an international one.

Give a 16 year old a ballot, and he will vote for the marijuana party, or the party that says "lower taxes" because frankly, that's all they care about at that age. Heck, many 18+ vote with that mentality. If they are still dependant on their parents, they should have no say in the government. ..Just my two cents.

Give a 16 year old a ballot, and he will vote for the marijuana party, or the party that says "lower taxes" because frankly, that's all they care about at that age. Heck, many 18+ vote with that mentality. If they are still dependant on their parents, they should have no say in the government. ..Just my two cents.

OOC: I'd appreciate a qualifier, like "some". A large number of 16 year olds I know, including myself, are far from ignorant or careless about politics. Actually, most people I know my age interested in politics would probably prefer higher taxation as part of a generally leftist platform, and I'm in the minority when I argue in favour of legalisation of all drugs.

Didn't the UN define childhood as 18?

I refuse to have children vote.

Now I dont know about you, but I dont think any one under 25 should vote.
Hell 30 years at that matter. If you are younger than that you just are not mature enough to understand politics.

If the voting age is dropped to 16, all countrys will legalize ALL drugs, and everyones national anthem will be changed to "enter sandman" or "opps I did it again"

Let 16 year olds be 16 year olds.

leave politics to mature adults.