Welcoming more citizens to the polls: A door-to-door campaigner in the U.S.
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Early voting for the November presidential election is well underway in the United States, and both parties are trying to engage young voters. Solutions that would benefit the nation’s economy—like increasing the availability of high-quality education and lowering the cost of job training—particularly affect young voters.
But our current system has a fundamental flaw when it comes to young voters that can and should be remedied before the next election cycle: More young U.S. citizens who have the greatest stake in America’s economic future should be allowed to vote. The United States should move the voting age nationwide from 18 to 16. This is what almost a dozen countries—including Argentina, Austria, Germany, and Scotland—have done. Many towns in the United States have already instituted a voting age of 16 for local elections.
This reform is neither progressive nor conservative, but rather an essential next step to improve how our republic functions. Past reforms of the franchise have gone a long way toward upholding America’s ideals and improving self-governance—so would extending voting responsibilities to 16- and 17-year-old citizens.
Among the other reasons it makes sense to welcome more young U.S. citizens to the polls:
It Strengthens Our Economy. Creating incentives for politicians to appeal to high-school juniors and seniors makes good economic sense. Our economy works better when politicians are accountable to more voters who are beginning their working lives and making the kinds of decisions about their futures that affect all of us. Many young Americans have a strong interest in job training, affordable and high-quality education, a reasonable cost of living, and job prospects that will allow them to remain closer to their families if they choose. These priorities are aligned with a stronger economy for all Americans in the short- and long-term.
It Strengthens Our Democracy, Creating More Engaged Citizens. Citizens who feel their concerns and issues matter are more likely to vote. What better time to encourage the habit of voting than when they are in school and involved in their communities, studying civics, and taking on their first major responsibilities like working a job, driving a car, and paying taxes? Research from the McCourtney Institute for Democracy shows that young Americans are more skeptical about democracy than previous generations. The best cure for this disengagement from American values is engagement in self-governance, starting with voting. Unless we welcome younger people now into this fundamental practice of our republic, evidence suggests there is a risk that they are more likely to be open to autocratic socialism or fascist authoritarianism. Either system is bad for the economy, as well as our fundamental freedoms.
Science suggests that giving younger people the ability to vote may make them lifelong engaged citizens in democracy. This is borne out by research from the College of William & Mary Law School, which found that by the age of 16 our brains are capable of forming lifelong habits. According to Yale’s Institution for Social and Policy Studies, voting is habit-forming. Understanding politics is also well within the grasp of 16- and 17-year-olds, who on average are as knowledgeable about our political system as 18- to 25-year olds who can vote, says researchers Daniel Hart and James Youniss. And when given the opportunity, young people are reliable voters. The voting age has already been lowered for local or school board elections in many towns and cities in California, New Jersey, Maryland, and Vermont. In Takoma Park, Maryland—one of the eight cities in Maryland where people as young as 16 can vote in municipal elections—registered 16- and 17-year-old voters have outperformed all registered voters in each municipal election since November 2013, with 63% of them voting in 2022, compared to 49% of all voters.
It Matches Responsibilities with Rights. We already require the millions of 16- and 17-year-olds who work to pay taxes. Having founded our republic on the principle of “no taxation without representation,” we should restore that principle as part of renewing the promise of America. As Republican Representative Michael Burgess of Texas posted on X: “Those who pay taxes should have a voice in our democracy. As a teen, I worked and paid taxes … I support policies that encourage work & this could be part of the conversation.” Little wonder that when the issue first came before Congress, it received a surprisingly high and bipartisan 126 votes on its first try. What’s more, 17-year-olds can serve in the military with parental consent. In most states those who are 16 have the right to work—with few restrictions on hours. We give 16-year-olds the more dangerous responsibility of driving on our roads and highways—granting voting rights to U.S. citizens at 16 is much less risky, and comes with more economic and civic benefits for all Americans.
It Creates a Future-Oriented Electorate. As things stand now, older voters have a disproportionate say in matters that will impact younger people for decades to come. In 2020, the electorate was already the oldest it had been in over a half century—since at least 1970, according to Pew Research Center. What’s more, the Census Bureau estimates that by 2034 Americans over the age of 65 will outnumber those 18 and younger for the first time in U.S. history. Top economic concerns of youth, such as managing debt, health care affordability, and housing costs, highlighted recently by Brookings’ Gabriel Sanchez, Karishma Luthra and Anya Parasher, are issues that are vital to the long-term health of our economy. But older voters may not be as focused on the future as younger ones.
It Will Improve Our Schools. Politicians won’t be the only ones held more accountable by lowering the voting age. So, too, will the schools that teach our young people. When 16- and 17-year-olds are voting, teachers, principals, community leaders, and students across the United States will have a responsibility to do more to improve education in civics and other areas. Some communities will do a better job of engaging young people in America’s essential practice of self-governance. As better teaching methods are identified, civic education might quickly improve across the country.
Communities work best when we put country before party, and engage all Americans in America. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, allowing U.S. citizens to vote at the more appropriate age of 16 is an efficient way to strengthen America. With U.S. citizens voting at 16, politicians will be more accountable—and our economy, our democracy, and our education system will all enjoy stronger prospects. Overlooking a promising and inexpensive way of enhancing prosperity, education, and freedom in America is a risk the country can no longer afford to take.
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Publish date : 2024-10-31 06:58:00
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