California Lawmakers Want Voting Age Lowered to 14

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2004-03-10 11:44pm

Since the closest anyone in my school comes to paying attention to politics is listening to Rage Against the Machine and wearing only red and black, I'd say lowering the voting age to 14 would be a bad idea. I think that voting rights should be determined by knowledge of the political system rather than age, but not even I have any idea on how that would be worked out.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-03-11 12:36am

Vympel wrote:I don't think 14 year olds no shit about anything to be allowed to vote. Granted, I'm sure there are some 14 year olds more intelligent than some moron who's out there who doesn't know how the fuck to punch a chad, but really, it just strikes me as irresponsible. What 14 year old even thinks about issues at all?

I did.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-03-11 01:26am

Galvatron wrote:Besides, could you imagine upswing in Christian youth groups trying to get kids to "vote right?"

The thought churns my stomach.

Actually, a substantial fraction of the populace under age 20 is liberal.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2004-03-11 01:39am

Wow. Just... wow.

I live in California... And I do not want a bunch of middle schoolers voting. True, some 14 year olds pay attention to political issues - I did. However, I'd have to say the majority of people are woefully under/mis-informed. Raise the voting age a little? Maybe. People don't automatically become adults once they hit 18, but giving 14 year olds votes is waaayy too premature.

I'd have to agree with David... While my school's students are a bit more politically aware than your average HSer, unfortuntely, the rest of California can't be held to that standard.

Giving people a test to see if they can vote... Maybe.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-03-11 03:21am

I dont about American schools but in my school students are not enough aware of politics to vote.

aphexmonster · Post by **aphexmonster** » 2004-03-11 03:04pm

Exonerate wrote:Wow. Just... wow.

I live in California... And I do not want a bunch of middle schoolers voting. True, some 14 year olds pay attention to political issues - I did. However, I'd have to say the majority of people are woefully under/mis-informed. Raise the voting age a little? Maybe. People don't automatically become adults once they hit 18, but giving 14 year olds votes is waaayy too premature.

I'd have to agree with David... While my school's students are a bit more politically aware than your average HSer, unfortuntely, the rest of California can't be held to that standard.

Giving people a test to see if they can vote... Maybe.

Im gonna have to aggree as well, this is the kind of act that will ensure Arnold as president .... or someone even worse ... Justin timberlake

fangirls congrigate in large numbers

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-03-11 03:15pm

I finally realized what this article reminded me of. IIRC, a bill was introduced in Tanzania to lower the voting age to 15. The reason for that, though, was because so many adults are dying of AIDS and these young teens are left to fend for themselves. Since they're the ones in many cases having to take care of themselves and their families (all their orphaned siblings), the thought was that they should be able to vote and have a say in government. Also, it was hoped that maybe the government would pay more attention to AIDS victims if the orphans were voting out negligent politicians who pay no attention to the crisis. It didn't pass.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2004-03-11 04:47pm

Master of Ossus wrote:
Galvatron wrote:Besides, could you imagine upswing in Christian youth groups trying to get kids to "vote right?"

The thought churns my stomach.
Actually, a substantial fraction of the populace under age 20 is liberal.

Very liberal. And a good fraction of that comes from their teachers ramming their own left-wing agenda down the throats of their students. Remember that these are the same people who teach straight out of the teacher's guide, and then whine when they're not paid as much people who weren't washouts from harder science and engineering disciplines . . . and do this, even in states where they're already paid well above what the districts can really afford to pay them, and well above what someone with a comparably difficult degree would make in the private sector in said state.

And let's face it, high school does not teach students to be independent critical thinkers. They're taught to be unblinking automatons who soak up four years of trivia through route memorization, unless they're bright enough to get into advanced classes, or to seek out knowledge on their own . . . but the bright ones are comparatively rare. For every student who actually keeps up with the news and issues, you'll have three students voting the way their teachers tell them to, two students voting for the canidate with the most name recognition or who looks the "coolest" and ten students who wouldn't give a fuck because Friends is on and the boyfriend is coming over at nine for a session of studying involving maths and prophylactics.

With the quality of the education system being what it is these days, high schoolers should not be allowed something as important as voting under any circumstances.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2004-03-11 04:53pm

aphexmonster wrote:
Exonerate wrote:Wow. Just... wow.

I live in California... And I do not want a bunch of middle schoolers voting. True, some 14 year olds pay attention to political issues - I did. However, I'd have to say the majority of people are woefully under/mis-informed. Raise the voting age a little? Maybe. People don't automatically become adults once they hit 18, but giving 14 year olds votes is waaayy too premature.

I'd have to agree with David... While my school's students are a bit more politically aware than your average HSer, unfortuntely, the rest of California can't be held to that standard.

Giving people a test to see if they can vote... Maybe.
Im gonna have to aggree as well, this is the kind of act that will ensure Arnold as president .... or someone even worse ... Justin timberlake

fangirls congrigate in large numbers

Vaguely relevant anectdote:

I have a young friend who lives in California who once admitted to me that were she allowed to vote, and she could work up the motivation to vote, she would've voted Arnold for governor. Not because of his stand on any of the issues, but because he's a well known actor.

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2004-03-12 02:14am

This is a retarded idea. As a high schooler, I can say with certainty that most teens are idiots.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-03-12 04:29am

evilcat4000 wrote:I dont about American schools but in my school students are not enough aware of politics to vote.

Voting should be thought of as a responsibility, not a privilege. Most 14 year olds aren't ready for that responsibility. Indeed, what experience do 14 year olds have with any kind of responsibility?

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-03-12 05:04am

Darth Wong wrote: Voting should be thought of as a responsibility, not a privilege. Most 14 year olds aren't ready for that responsibility. Indeed, what experience do 14 year olds have with any kind of responsibility?

That's the point of this don't you think? Give them a taste of the responsibility of voting at a young age so that they are more experienced with the process (and hopefully politics in general) by the time they are given the full vote. Much the same as giving children an allowance so that they learn how to manage money.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2004-03-12 12:14pm

The Kernel wrote:
Darth Wong wrote: Voting should be thought of as a responsibility, not a privilege. Most 14 year olds aren't ready for that responsibility. Indeed, what experience do 14 year olds have with any kind of responsibility?
That's the point of this don't you think? Give them a taste of the responsibility of voting at a young age so that they are more experienced with the process (and hopefully politics in general) by the time they are given the full vote. Much the same as giving children an allowance so that they learn how to manage money.

If you absolutely must give students a taste of the responsibility of voting, make it so they can only vote in city or county elections. Yes, they lack the glamour of state or national elections, but the issues inherent in city and county elections tend to make them directly relevant to the teens and their communities . . . and they actually have to learn to do some research (such as reading the handy election guide that the League of Women Voters publishes for each election.) And these sorts of elections tend to have piss-poor turnouts, so if parents have to take their kids to go vote in the "small" elections, they might stick around to vote themselves.

Post by **RogueIce** » 2004-03-12 05:35pm

Y'know, I'm just wondering about the logistics behind couting up a bunch of 1/4 and 1/2 votes...

But aside from that, I really don't see it as a very good idea. Though that stripper may've been gov. of California if this was the case, provided she advertised the "right" way.