Should teenagers vote? How much input should they have? I don’t think that children should be able to vote with the same amount of impact as grown adults.  However, it  is not right  for an American teenager to have no vote when she is one day away from being 18, to suddenly having the option to make a difference thrust upon her? What I have in mind is that there would be partial votes, or votes that are unequal to others. For example, 16 and 17 year olds’ votes would count as only one half of an adult’s. Because of my plan, as teenagers’ minds and bodies mature, their amount of input in elections would increase.  I think that America should lower the voting age because doing so will increase voter turnout by introducing kids to politics earlier, and more of those who will actually be affected by laws and leaders will be able to have a say in said laws and leaders. Gradual increase in voting power is essentially what I’m proposing.

In my opinion, introducing young adults to politics will make them more likely to define themselves as a voter when they are older, and this could cause a great increase in voters. In fact, a study conducted by Stanford University’s Christopher Brown suggests that when people consider themselves personally as a voter, rather than someone that votes, they are 13% more likely to vote (Gorlick). Now, that statistic may not seem like a big number to the general public, but when you look at the midterms voter turnout of 2014, you can see that only about one in three eligible United States Voters actually filled out their ballots and voted (Montanaro). Think about it; this means that only one in three American adults are being represented by our political leaders (Montanaro).Therefore, 13% more voters could make a huge difference in terms of how well our country is actually being represented.  Our government is a democracy by representation. However, more people than not are staying home watching elections rather than participating in them. I propose that U. S. citizens 14 and older could have at least a small say, leading to more opinionated adults in the generations to come. High schools could encourage their students to vote by requesting them to do so, and therefore many more kids would grow up in school environments that discusses their political options more. Yes, we would still keep politics and schools separate, because the only thing that schools would be doing would perhaps have their school announcements simply say “don’t forget to vote for our next president!”. Voting would become a dinner table conversation in households in which politics are rarely discussed. Not only would the teenagers be encouraged to vote for their country, but it would raise awareness for the parents of the nation as well, and the voting turnout would likely spike. Children would grow up knowing that they could make a difference in how their country is run, rather than sitting back and watching leaders be elected as they get older.

Although many may say that young adults are not old enough to have a concrete opinion, I beg to differ. There are so many kids with valuable opinions, as I, a 14 year old girl, am proving to you now. In addition, the sheer number of kids ages 14-17 would be enough to boost the voting turnout. If they define themselves as being a voter at age 14, then they are more likely to vote now, and therefore more likely to vote later (Gorlick). Teenagers are widely affected by laws and leaders that are passed or elected by vote. Voting is not required, and if anyone was uncomfortable voting, then they would not have to do so. In addition, the young adults of this generation will be widely affected by the decisions made by the adults of today. Laws that are passed today will change life in the future, and if we are not letting the future have a voice then we should not call ourselves a modern nation. If fourteen year olds had an eighth of a vote, fifteen year olds had a quarter of one, and sixteen and seventeen year olds had a half, then everyone would be able to contribute earlier on. Using this method, each person will have been given the opportunity to vote in a presidential election before they become a legal adult. This would make an extreme impact on the laws that the teenagers of today will grow up to live by, while still not handing over the reins of leadership to the children of the original voters. Teenagers are this country’s future, so I say that we should let them help decide how that future will look.

On the whole, this alteration to one of the United States of America’s most basic laws would benefit the entire country. Our voter turnout is abysmal, and the addition of an astronomic amount of eligible voters would increase the voter count tremendously, now and in the future. In addition, the teenagers in question will be the adults of the future, and they will have to abide by the rules for which the adults of today write for them. They will soon be the adults that are voting, and if we slowly introduce young adults to voting and contributing to their country, then they will be more inclined to vote as they grow older. We need more people to vote in this country. Only one third of the United States’ eligible voters are voting (Montanaro). All in all, it is imperative that United States citizens vote.  Increasing teenage contribution to the country will boost voter turnout, therefore solving an important issue. Proceeding to lower the voting age will introduce teens to politics earlier, cause more people to vote, and teenagers will be able to contribute to their future.

Works Cited
Gorlick, Adam. “Stanford Researchers Find That a Simple Change in Phrasing Can Increase       Voter Turnout.” Stanford University. N.p., 19 July 2011. Web. 22 Oct 2015.
Montanaro, Domenico, Rachel Wellford, and Simone Pathe. “2014 Midterm Election Turnout    Lowest in 70 Years.” PBS Newshour. N.p., 10 Nov 01. Web.