Assignment 16- Speech-Hayden Caldwell

Well, here it is. At the end we have arrived.

Our nation has encountered a crisis. The voice of the people grows more and more silent every year, every election. In 2014, it was reported that only 42 percent of voting-age citizens in the United States exercised their constitutional right. How is our nation a democracy when less than half of the people decide on our leaders? This fundamental principle is ruined at the shortcomings of the people. At the same time, a population subject to legal accountability under driving laws and taxation are not allowed a voice in government. The 26th Amendment was passed to allow those who were eligible for the draft to vote on policies governing them. We should lower the voting age to sixteen because the same legal argument behind the 26th amendment applies to the argument to lower it to 16. This solution will also solve the epidemic plaguing our nation; the problem with voter participation. Finally, it will engage a silent voice in our nation that needs to be heard. 

The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to eighteen to accommodate for the reality that eighteen year olds were subject to the draft but unable to vote. The same logic can be applied to allowing sixteen year olds to vote today. Sixteen year olds are subjected to income taxes, education policy, driving laws, and legal accountability for their actions. David de la Fuente of USA Today argues "When teenagers are contributing to society or being held liable by it, they should also be able to weigh in." About 250,000 youth are tried each year in the US as adults. This injustice needs to be solved by providing these individuals with the right to vote. 

Now let's address those historically low voter turnouts. de la Fuente states that only about 39% of teens in the US vote yearly. Peter Levine of the magazine Politico states this problem can be solved if parents and teachers help teach voting responsibilities to their children, building a habit of consistently voting. Because sixteen year olds are still in school and under legal custody of their parents, that gives them two primary methods we as a society can use to encourage voting habits among the younger voters in our country. This will help solve the voter epidemic in our country. 

There are consistent counter arguments against allowing teenagers as young as sixteen to vote. Many question the psychology of teenagers and their ability to competently vote for the future leaders of our country. Adriana Galvan, a psychologist and medical professor states that the largest difference between teenagers and adults mentally is the reward systems and the release of dopamine in the brain. Vivian Hamilton, a professor at William and Mary, argues that adolescents make questionable decisions largely due to two factors: peer pressure and in-the-moment stress. In voting for a candidate, neither of these potential roadblocks are present. Hamilton also argues that in most other aspects psychologically the teen brain is as developed as the adult brain. Levine adds in Politico that people 16-17 on average know more about politics than those 18-19. This evidence counters other beliefs against teenagers voting because it proves some of the social immaturities of teenagers would not show themselves in voting. Another common concern among opponents of lowering the voting age is the potential partisan imbalance it would create. Many believe that allowing 16 year olds to vote would present the Democratic Party with an unfair advantage. However, Levine addresses this concern as well by indicating that recent polls indicate our nation's youth is split evenly between the two parties 

In conclusion, it would not only be a disgrace to our Constitution and founders but also our current situation to not grant sixteen year olds the right to vote. This change would allow for a politically active audience to become lifelong voters and get people back to the ballots. It would also stop the hypocrisy our nation has presented since its formation with "no taxation without representation" and ideas under the Declaration of Independence states "all men are created equal." Allowing sixteen year olds the right to vote is simply another step towards the goal of creating a truly free country.