With the 2020 election only four days away and passionate citizens vocalizing their political opinions, it left me thinking about the impacts and restrictions that voting has on teens. 

Why is the minimum voting age 18 when 16 year olds are given the right to make choices that could potentially be more dangerous acts because of their ability of driving?

Many people share the opinion that 16 year olds are not mature enough to vote. If they are not mature enough to vote, then why are they allowed to have jobs, drop out of school, get married (with parental consent), or sign up to be organ donors?

If they don’t want teenagers to vote because they are not mature enough, then they are not mature enough to pay taxes without having the right to political representation. On April 3, 2019, Andrew Yang became the first presidatial candidate to advocate for lowering the voting age to 16. 

You have to be 18 to vote and 16- 17 to register to be eligible to vote by the next election. I personally think that it is much more likely to cause problems to have 16 year olds driving and not only putting themselves, but others at risk.

17% of citizens have had at least one DUI in their lifetime. Since 1991, teen driving under the influence has decreased by 54%. This shows that over the span of about 30 years teen driving under the influence has diminished by half.

In the 1960s, the voting restriction was 21, but then was lowered to 18 due to World War II and the Vietnam War, resulting in the slogan, “old enough to fight, old enough to vote”. If teens are old enough to pass a driving test or be hired at a part-time job, they should be old enough to vote in local elections. 

There are already three places in the United States that allow 16 year olds to vote in local elections.

San Francisco, California is trying to pass Vote 16 (Prop G) in order to extend voting rights and allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote in elections. 

Some of the reasons included on the website are that 16 and 17 year olds have the necessary knowledge to start voting and teens are affected by political issues just like everyone else. By lowering the voting restrictions, teens will want to be more involved in politics and strengthen their civics education. By starting at a younger age, teens will get into a habit of wanting to vote for the next election. 

We all abide by the same laws, yet 16 or 17 year olds don’t have a say because they are not allowed to vote to express their opinion. They are fully capable of making their own decisions and choices without the influence of the adults in their lives, and are mature enough to make those decisions that could positively impact our society.