NationStates Jolt Archive

What should the Voteing age be in any country?

I don't think the ability to vote should be based on age AT ALL...

Given that I would have been able to cast a well-informed vote at age 10 ... but I'm taking into account that most people aren't. I think at 15 people are beginning to have an idea of what the world they want looks like.

So I voted for that. And out of 2 votes, they're both for 15. I smell conspiracy, I tell you!

I think 18, you are more or less aware of how your country works and have an adult mind to help you decide on what you are voting on

The voting age sould be 13 and up because teens are responsible for their decisions well some of them

18 is when we tend to define ourselves as adults.

Whatever age you have to be in order to be legally employed. Anything higher than that is taxation without representation.

18 is when we tend to define ourselves as adults.

Exactly and that is why it should remain at 18. Until the age of 18, people are not considered as adults and to not share the same burdens as adults. Children do not have to pay most taxes as they don't own land or have a large income and dont face the same punishments for their crimes so they should not be able to decide what happens in the country.

Also it has been proven that children as a whole (I am generalizing, so don't start flaming) can be coerced and brainwased, intentionally or unintentionally, much easier than adults. For an example if you look at most children in the country they generally hold the same political view points as their parents because they here their parents talking about them and making comments about them frequently. Even if they dont really care about the topic or it has no relation to them they still hold their parent's point to be true - i.e. social security (This is from experience so please don't start flaming and saying it is not true).

Yes some children are intellegent enough to make decisions and form their own opinions rather than being brainwashed by others, but it is impossible to tell who these children are and thus the population as a whole under 18 should not be allowed to vote.

(Related side point - The frontal lobe of the brain which controls judgement and decision making fully develops after 18.)

I don't think the ability to vote should be based on age AT ALL...

Basing it on age is biased... though I can't think of a better way.

Post #1!... as if anyone cares

When I was 14 I was working on the 2000 election (US of course.) And when I was 16 I started work on the 2004. I was 17 and 9 months on voting day 2004 and I wanted to vote. I think 16 would be a nice age. But perhaps there are only a handful of 16 year olds that would actually use it.

It should be 20. Most people below that are dolts. Most people above that are dolts, too, but I remember those under 20 to be worse.

When I was 14 I was working on the 2000 election (US of course.) And when I was 16 I started work on the 2004. I was 17 and 9 months on voting day 2004 and I wanted to vote. I think 16 would be a nice age. But perhaps there are only a handful of 16 year olds that would actually use it.

My cousin is part of a group campaigning to lower the Canadian voting age to 16. She'll be 17 next March, I think.

But here is my idea: Mandatory testing to see if you understand enough to vote well. I know people who could pass it at age 6 and some who couldn't pass it who are well into their 40s.

18. Teens aren't allowed to vote for a reason, and that is because of their mood swings. It clouds their thinking. Girls especially. 18 is when people usually become more levelheaded.

18. Teens aren't allowed to vote for a reason, and that is because of their mood swings. It clouds their thinking. Girls especially. 18 is when people usually become more levelheaded.

I dunno... given about an hour and a half (for driving time and phone calls), I could gather more politically-well-versed females between the ages of 13 and 16 than you could shake a stick at.

I dunno... given about an hour and a half (for driving time and phone calls), I could gather more politically-well-versed females between the ages of 13 and 16 than you could shake a stick at.
I'm not saying well versed. I believe plenty are. Just level headed. This applies to boys, too. But boys are more quiet. Girls are gabby and emotional. And my God, I really am a pig :p .

18. I think you should also be able to spell "voting" before you're allowed to vote.

/no hard feelings

Exactly and that is why it should remain at 18. Until the age of 18, people are not considered as adults and to not share the same burdens as adults. Children do not have to pay most taxes as they don't own land or have a large income and dont face the same punishments for their crimes so they should not be able to decide what happens in the country.

Also it has been proven that children as a whole (I am generalizing, so don't start flaming) can be coerced and brainwased, intentionally or unintentionally, much easier than adults. For an example if you look at most children in the country they generally hold the same political view points as their parents because they here their parents talking about them and making comments about them frequently. <snip>

Many adults vote the same way their parents did

I think that makes that one a rather poor argument


When children do have income, its taxable just like everyone elses.
When they buy things they pay value added taxes(sales taxes)
like everyone else.
So I think that that makes a pretty poor argument.

Prisoner's in some places aren't allowed to vote (which btw is simply wrong)
but to base an argument that they shouldn't be allowed to vote
because they aren't always subject to the same punishments is apparently
treating them as prisoners until they reach whatever the age of majority is
in whatever state we're talking about and I think that makes a pretty
poor argument.

Many of the rules of many nations make children entirely reliant on
the goodwill of parents and state.
It is very difficult for children to extricate themselves from parents or
guardians who are perhaps not that goodwilled towards them
They are subject to rules made for and about them without
having the opportunity to elect representatives.

Lets face it while no one is saying that children in general are politically savvy
or have a full or even reasonable understanding of the nature of democracy
etc, what's the worst that they can do?

Elect an idiot as president?

It should be 20. Most people below that are dolts. Most people above that are dolts, too, but I remember those under 20 to be worse.



I think that's the memory of someone over 20

I suggest that people under 20 could view it as being the other way around.

Basing it on age is biased... though I can't think of a better way.
Can't? I could give a few...
My favorite though:
How about a simple spelling test?! That would not only eliminate children not ready for the 'real world' but also cut out all of the 'adults' that aren't ready for the 'real world'! :D (Spelling tests should ALSO be mandatory for candidates... lmao)

But seriously, not a spelling test, but some test on the persons general knowledge of government... make sure they at least know a little about the political system (it doesn’t have to be hard or anything, just something that eliminates complete morons, hell you can even get a sheet with all of the answers to study before you take it!). I mean if you are judged by colleges on standardized tests… why can’t you be for voting?

I know that in the world there are some very intelligent children/teenagers/people not considered ‘adults’ that could make decent decisions in an election. I also know that there are plenty of people over the age of 18/whatever that have the same reasoning capabilities and knowledge of a toothpick. I think a simple standardized test could help take away a large portion of bias.

Basing the ability to vote on age seems to me as silly as basing it on gender… or race. Hey lets just go back to early America and we can let only the white males that own property vote! :D who’s up for that? Yeah… not many people… (atleast I hope not... >.> )

First of all I would like to say... as I stated many times in my post, I was generalizing... apparently you could not understand that...

Many adults vote the same way their parents did

I think that makes that one a rather poor argument

Yes it is true but at least they have had 30 years to think about their views rather than allowing a 16 year old to vote after he has been thinking about it for 3 years.

When children do have income, its taxable just like everyone elses.
When they buy things they pay value added taxes(sales taxes)
like everyone else.
So I think that that makes a pretty poor argument.

As I stated, I said don't pay most taxes as I obviously realized they pay sales tax... and I also said larger incomes - not earning 7.95$ an hour from the movie store.

Prisoner's in some places aren't allowed to vote (which btw is simply wrong)
but to base an argument that they shouldn't be allowed to vote
because they aren't always subject to the same punishments is apparently
treating them as prisoners until they reach whatever the age of majority is
in whatever state we're talking about and I think that makes a pretty
poor argument.

Again you tried to bash my point without understanding it at all...
First of all, no criminals should not be allowed to vote because they violated the rules and laws of soceity and thus are no longer in accordance with the standard of soceity. If you don't follow the rules you don't get the rights and responsibilities.
Second of all, no its not treating them like prisoners, what it is, is not treating them as full members of soceity because they aren't. They aren't held to the same standards so they don't get the same rights...


Many of the rules of many nations make children entirely reliant on
the goodwill of parents and state.
It is very difficult for children to extricate themselves from parents or
guardians who are perhaps not that goodwilled towards them
They are subject to rules made for and about them without
having the opportunity to elect representatives.

They will eventually grow up and be able to make their own decisions... There has to be a bar somewhere....

Lets face it while no one is saying that children in general are politically savvy
or have a full or even reasonable understanding of the nature of democracy
etc, what's the worst that they can do?

Elect an idiot as president?

No, the worst they can do is elect some pop culture figure that is pussy and a dolt... If you are going to have a dolt in office, he may as well be a strong one.

When I was 14 I was working on the 2000 election (US of course.) And when I was 16 I started work on the 2004. I was 17 and 9 months on voting day 2004 and I wanted to vote. I think 16 would be a nice age. But perhaps there are only a handful of 16 year olds that would actually use it.

Problem with this is that if you set the bar at 16... 15 year olds will be saying that they should get the vote.... and then 14 year olds. You have to draw a line in the sand or else if you give the mouse a cookie...

But here is my idea: Mandatory testing to see if you understand enough to vote well. I know people who could pass it at age 6 and some who couldn't pass it who are well into their 40s.

Problem with this idea is that it discrimates against the poor and uneducated. The democracy would no longer exist. It would be pretty much the same as saying you can pay X amount of dollars to vote - this is prohibitted by 24th amendment. This would also have limited most women and blacks in up to the civil rights movements of the 60s.

Kids are stupid, I know, because I was one. And too often, they vote based on idealism and a naive perception of reality. Hell, voting shouldn't be granted until the mid-20's, nowadays. Are some young people capable? Yes. Are some older people not capable? Yes. But typically, older people are hella smarter when it comes to life.

21.

14 and 16 year-olds are too far to the extreme left. They want us to be commies. Uh-uh, not gonna happen.

People under 21 don't have experience with life and thus are always way to idealistic.

I'm saying this, and I'm 14. Even I don't trust myself on things like these, sometimes...

21.

14 and 16 year-olds are too far to the extreme left. They want us to be commies. Uh-uh, not gonna happen.

People under 21 don't have experience with life and thus are always way to idealistic.

I'm saying this, and I'm 14. Even I don't trust myself on things like these, sometimes...
So you want the Voting age changed to make it harder for the left to win? That doen't seem very democratic.

18 is when we tend to define ourselves as adults.

well technically if it's in ANY country as it says, then that isn't true. You define yourself as an adult when society defines you as an adult.

Whatever age it is in your country that your parents stop being legally responsible for you and legally bound to support you.

Summed up by a member at my forum:


18 is a scientifically-proven average age of human physiological maturity. It's not just a random, cool number somebody came up with. It should be 18. There is no reason at all to change it in either direction.

-- X; Voting Age; The Infinity Program Forum

Kids are stupid, I know, because I was one. And too often, they vote based on idealism and a naive perception of reality. Hell, voting shouldn't be granted until the mid-20's, nowadays. Are some young people capable? Yes. Are some older people not capable? Yes. But typically, older people are hella smarter when it comes to life.

I think anyone who uses the word hella shouldn't be able to vote.

I think that if we are going to base voting on age, 65 would be a good minimum. At 65 most people have experienced a lot, learned a lot and their political ideas have had time to fully develope and become consistant with reality. Also, many people retire around 65 and are looking for a new hobby. What better than politics? I think giving seniors the right to vote would be a wonderful way of honoring them and recognising their wisdom. Societies used to have great respect for the wisdom of the elders and often sought their expertise in matters of politics. We ought to return to that sort of culture.

Yes it is true but at least they have had 30 years to think about their views rather than allowing a 16 year old to vote after he has been thinking about it for 3 years.

Maybe if a government/politics class was manditory in freshamn year or something, would that make kids better informed?


First of all, no criminals should not be allowed to vote because they violated the rules and laws of soceity and thus are no longer in accordance with the standard of soceity. If you don't follow the rules you don't get the rights and responsibilities.

Thats BS, if they are still being repremanded for breaking a law, they are then living by, or according to the law and the punshiments for breaking it. They should in turn be able to choose the laws that govern them. And no, murder will never become legal. Also, consider ther person who got sent to jail on some bullshit charge for 6 months, just in time to miss the election.


No, the worst they can do is elect some pop culture figure that is pussy and a dolt... If you are going to have a dolt in office, he may as well be a strong one.

Think about what you just said. The tiny population of sub 20 yo's vs. everyone else. Who will win?

[QUOTE=DMG]Problem with this is that if you set the bar at 16... 15 year olds will be saying that they should get the vote.... and then 14 year olds. You have to draw a line in the sand or else if you give the mouse a cookie...

I think slipperly slope arguements should never really be considered. Unless its something that one powerful person or a group of powerful is doing, its never gunna happen. i.e If we allow gay ppl to marry, soon they will want to marry toasters, or sheep. As opposed to, well Hitler is forming an army, and amassing it around enemy borders, but what the hell.


Problem with this idea is that it discrimates against the poor and uneducated. The democracy would no longer exist. It would be pretty much the same as saying you can pay X amount of dollars to vote - this is prohibitted by 24th amendment. This would also have limited most women and blacks in up to the civil rights movements of the 60s.

The person suggested giving them all the answers to study, and that it would be very easy. So you think an 18 yo illiterate non-english speaking mexican american, who was raised by immigrants who are migrant fruit pickers, should be able to vote, but a 16 yo, who takes AP classes and is on top of current events, shouldn't?

It should be 20. Most people below that are dolts. Most people above that are dolts, too, but I remember those under 20 to be worse.

Heh. Thanks.

Should be llegal to vote at the age of 16, at this age the people is yet able to take important decisions, and could be considerd almost as adults.

First, the absolute highest age in the US would be 18. Then you are responsible for everything you do and you can die for your country. You should be able to vote.
Secondly, even if it were lowered to 16 very few would do it excepting those who really cared.
But, sadly, I'm afraid that many parents would force their kids to vote how they vote. Which would imo be worse than not voting at all.

Edit: Since they would be "almost adults" maybe they should be able to vote on state or county issues but not for president or reps or senate?

It should be 20. Most people below that are dolts. Most people above that are dolts, too, but I remember those under 20 to be worse.

I'm 16 and just got 5 A* and 6 A GCSE grades [/Boast :P) and consider myself quite capable of deciding who to vote for in any election. In fact, my parents asked me who to vote for in the recent EU Parliament elections and the UK General Election.

Democracy means 'Rule By the People'. Not 'Rule by people with an IQ of 105'. Intelligence should not be a factor in deciding who can vote, and stereotyping those under the voting age is not a valid argument. Voting age should be at 16 - when people are capable of making an informed decision and potentially able to get at job and pay tax.

Since politicians would have to have policy that appeals to young people to get their vote, there could be many additional benefits in the long term including better/new youth facilities which could get kids like myself off the streets and doing something constructive.

18 when voting on the nation / state

16 when voting on the community / county

That works pretty good where I live (Germany).

18 when voting on the nation / state

16 when voting on the community / county

That works pretty good where I live (Germany).

Does the 18 yo limit apply for governer? and do many 16 and 17 yos actually get out and vote on small county issues?

All these arguments about under 18s not being "smart enough", having mood swings or having clouded judgement are confusing me. Have you seen anything about voter behaviour that suggests rationality or intelligence? Hell no. Most voters will base their choice on two candidates who have no intention to help the average voter. Law and order is a great example of how dumb voters can be. No matter what is happening to actual crime rates, politicians can cash in by saying the sky is falling and crime is out of control and we should waste more money on longer jail sentences...

I voted 16 as I think this is a good minimum age of responsibility. Here in NZ that is the age where you can be considered mature enough to leave home and live by yourself. In fact you can do almost anything except drink... The main thing is that the age of responsibility should be consistent.