Vermont town seeks to lower voting age from 18 to just 16

[habsheaven]

Well, if you are old enough to drive I think you should be old enough to vote.

[duane1969]

Anyone incapable of supporting themselves should not be deciding how other people's lives will be impacted. I work with teenagers on a daily basis and 99.99% of them know jackdiddly about politics and only parrot what they hear their parents saying. All lowering the age to 16 would do is create pseudo-voters for the parents. Nothing more.

[bryanATX]

Well, if you are old enough to drive I think you should be old enough to vote.

Driving is a privilege though. Voting is a right for every American citizen of legal age (which is by law still 18). You can get a drivers license in south Dakota at 14. Should they vote too?

[andrewhoya]

16 is too young, even 18 is. at 18 your brain is not fully developed. but if you can be drafted at 18 you should be able to vote. so if we drop the draft age to 16, then let them vote.

Varies for everybody. There are hundreds of thousands of adults who have brains who are not fully developed, yet they have the right to vote.

[andrewhoya]

the last thing the world needs is 16 yo americans making any type of decisions,i'd push every thing to 21 if not 25

young/dumb they rhyme for a reason

Young and dumb rhyme?

[37jetson]

16 year olds should be permitted to vote any time they please...... in mock High School Elections.

[shrewsbury]

Varies for everybody. There are hundreds of thousands of adults who have brains who are not fully developed, yet they have the right to vote.

you are correct. and I hope you did not take that as a personal insult.


I was pointing out the fact that the brain has not fully developed at that age, which is a fact.

how much someone uses that bran does vary. there are people as young as and much younger than 18 that show more brain power than people older than them, but on average a brain older than mid 20's is fully matured.

[habsheaven]

Driving is a privilege though. Voting is a right for every American citizen of legal age (which is by law still 18). You can get a drivers license in south Dakota at 14. Should they vote too?

Yes, they should. It isn't a matter of privilege vs right. It's a matter of trust and responsibility. If society says a teenager is responsible enough to operate a vehicle which can kill people, they should be able to transfer that belief to casting a ballot (a much less dangerous task).

[andrewhoya]

you are correct. and I hope you did not take that as a personal insult.


I was pointing out the fact that the brain has not fully developed at that age, which is a fact.

how much someone uses that bran does vary. there are people as young as and much younger than 18 that show more brain power than people older than them, but on average a brain older than mid 20's is fully matured.

I don't take anything as a personal insult. I was simply pointing out that brain development varies, and although there are averages, that's what they are: averages. There are people on both ends of the spectrum.

[bryanATX]

Yes, they should. It isn't a matter of privilege vs right. It's a matter of trust and responsibility. If society says a teenager is responsible enough to operate a vehicle which can kill people, they should be able to transfer that belief to casting a ballot (a much less dangerous task).

Depends on how you look at it I guess. I didnt say its right to trust a 14 year old child to drive a vehicle either, because they are responsible for the lives of others. I'd rather not have a kid be in control of something that can kill people. For the same reasons, I dont trust them to make decisions that affect an entire nation (especially one I live in). So yes, ill agree its about trust.