Voting Age

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

Most adults are pretty thick, if I'm honest.

There is such a low turn-out anyway. Yeah, any kid who doesn't care just won't vote like every adult who tosses their vote aside so freely. Any kid who does obviously knows about politics.

Kids don't have rights. They only have the right to have a place to sleep, clothes to wear, food to eat, and to not be abused. Why should they get the right to vote?

Well, actually...since they are under the Human Rights act, they also have all those rights...including article 21, part three: Everyone shall have the right to vote in a democratic election

So...yeah.

And they shall have the right.
When they turn 18.
Are we supposed to send five-year-olds to the polls?

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

Most adults are pretty thick, if I'm honest.

There is such a low turn-out anyway. Yeah, any kid who doesn't care just won't vote like every adult who tosses their vote aside so freely. Any kid who does obviously knows about politics.

Kids don't have rights. They only have the right to have a place to sleep, clothes to wear, food to eat, and to not be abused. Why should they get the right to vote?

Well, actually...since they are under the Human Rights act, they also have all those rights...including article 21, part three: Everyone shall have the right to vote in a democratic election

So...yeah.

And they shall have the right.
When they turn 18.
Are we supposed to send five-year-olds to the polls?

I am referring to sixteen year olds.

In this country, 16 year olds can get married, leave home, go into the army, have sex and own a moped or a tractor.

I believe if someone is apparently old enough to have a child, they should be old enough to vote.

Timerous Beastie.:

I am referring to sixteen year olds.

In this country, 16 year olds can get married, leave home, go into the army, have sex and own a moped or a tractor.

I believe if someone is apparently old enough to have a child, they should be old enough to vote.

The legal age for leaving home and having sex is not always 16. It depends on what state you're in. In my states you couldn't legally own shit until you were 18. If you had a job and made money it was legally your parents. And you have to be 17 to join the army. And some girls can have a child at 12.

druscilla; overdose.:

The legal age for leaving home and having sex is not always 16. It depends on what state you're in. In my states you couldn't legally own shit until you were 18. If you had a job and made money it was legally your parents. And you have to be 17 to join the army. And some girls can have a child at 12.

I'm talking about the UK. Well, Scotland to be exact.

And I'm speaking legal ages to have children.

I just think it is unfair to stop intelligent beings voting merely because they are two years too young when otherwise fit people don't vote because they can't be bothered because they are jaded with politics.

^
I think that adults should have the legal rights of adults.
It's definitely the minority of sixteen year olds who would vote for the right reasons.
I know kids who would vote against who their parents vote for just to spite them.

druscilla; overdose.:

^
I think that adults should have the legal rights of adults.
It's definitely the minority of sixteen year olds who would vote for the right reasons.
I know kids who would vote against who their parents vote for just to spite them.

That minority of sixteen year olds could be the clincher between any party.

Those kids you know must have issues with their parents but I feel that if someone was going to spite someone, a vote is going to make little difference, particularly that it is a private affair.

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

^
I think that adults should have the legal rights of adults.
It's definitely the minority of sixteen year olds who would vote for the right reasons.
I know kids who would vote against who their parents vote for just to spite them.

That minority of sixteen year olds could be the clincher between any party. .

And so could the majority who go to the polls for the wrong reasons.

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

^
I think that adults should have the legal rights of adults.
It's definitely the minority of sixteen year olds who would vote for the right reasons.
I know kids who would vote against who their parents vote for just to spite them.

That minority of sixteen year olds could be the clincher between any party. .

And so could the majority who go to the polls for the wrong reasons.

I really doubt that purely sixteen and seventeen year olds would solely do that. You can't blame an entire age range of going to the polls for the wrong reasons. I am very sure that a fairly big majority of "adult" voters do the same.

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

^
I think that adults should have the legal rights of adults.
It's definitely the minority of sixteen year olds who would vote for the right reasons.
I know kids who would vote against who their parents vote for just to spite them.

That minority of sixteen year olds could be the clincher between any party. .

And so could the majority who go to the polls for the wrong reasons.

I really doubt that purely sixteen and seventeen year olds would solely do that. You can't blame an entire age range of going to the polls for the wrong reasons. I am very sure that a fairly big majority of "adult" voters do the same.

So we should just allow more people to do it?

druscilla; overdose.:

So we should just allow more people to do it?

And allow more people to vote for whom they think is right. It would at least defer if not stop all extraneous variables.

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

So we should just allow more people to do it?

And allow more people to vote for whom they think is right. It would at least defer if not stop all extraneous variables.

In my country, unless you're legally emancipated or 18 you have children's rights, not human rights.
Therefore, I don't think you should be given the right to vote.
It is a human right, not a child's right.

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

So we should just allow more people to do it?

And allow more people to vote for whom they think is right. It would at least defer if not stop all extraneous variables.

In my country, unless you're legally emancipated or 18 you have children's rights, not human rights.
Therefore, I don't think you should be given the right to vote.
It is a human right, not a child's right.

Children are humans.

Also in your country, there are so many different laws in different states. A child can marry at fourteen in some of the states with permission. A child can do so much more than you seem to care. Teenagers of sixteen shouldn't just be classed as second class citizens purely because of their age and the apparent bias that everyone believes that they would act selfishly and childishly.

From what I have taken as a random sample of the teenage population, around fifty percent wouldn't vote because they don't want to. The rest would either not vote because they is so punk, like; vote for the right reason and for their own beliefs; some would vote to do a fairly small victory over their parents and some would just do the Homer Simpson method: eeny meeny miney mo.

It is still a significent percentage of teenagers that would vote accurately.

If teenagers got more involved in politocs from a younger age, they would see the benefits of voting for who they believe in - moreso than Yearbook or Class President.

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

So we should just allow more people to do it?

And allow more people to vote for whom they think is right. It would at least defer if not stop all extraneous variables.

In my country, unless you're legally emancipated or 18 you have children's rights, not human rights.
Therefore, I don't think you should be given the right to vote.
It is a human right, not a child's right.

Children are humans.

Also in your country, there are so many different laws in different states. A child can marry at fourteen in some of the states with permission. A child can do so much more than you seem to care. Teenagers of sixteen shouldn't just be classed as second class citizens purely because of their age and the apparent bias that everyone believes that they would act selfishly and childishly.

From what I have taken as a random sample of the teenage population, around fifty percent wouldn't vote because they don't want to. The rest would either not vote because they is so punk, like; vote for the right reason and for their own beliefs; some would vote to do a fairly small victory over their parents and some would just do the Homer Simpson method: eeny meeny miney mo.

It is still a significent percentage of teenagers that would vote accurately.

If teenagers got more involved in politocs from a younger age, they would see the benefits of voting for who they believe in - moreso than Yearbook or Class President.

Do you know every 16 year old?

Martian:

Do you know every 16 year old?

Sample:3.a finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the whole.

Random:2B: being or relating to a set or to an element of a set each of whose elements has equal probability of occurrence.

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

druscilla; overdose.:

So we should just allow more people to do it?

And allow more people to vote for whom they think is right. It would at least defer if not stop all extraneous variables.

In my country, unless you're legally emancipated or 18 you have children's rights, not human rights.
Therefore, I don't think you should be given the right to vote.
It is a human right, not a child's right.

Children are humans.

Also in your country, there are so many different laws in different states. A child can marry at fourteen in some of the stateswith permission. A child can do so much more than you seem to care. Teenagers of sixteen shouldn't just be classed as second class citizens purely because of their age and the apparent bias that everyone believes that they would act selfishly and childishly.

I'm aware. My mother got married at sixteen with permission. She wasn't an adult. She had to have permission from her parents to marry.
The legal voting age in America used to be 21, but was lowered to 18 because of the draft. 16-year-olds to me, don't have any right to vote.

The report also found that 59% of young people have little interest in politics and that only 31% felt there is a duty to vote.

I can use statistics too =)

Anyway, how many 16 year olds can properly vote for a class president let alone a real president or prime minister?

I agree with dru, they have no right to vote.
I've met way too many ignorant 16 year olds to change my opinion.

druscilla; overdose.:

I'm aware. My mother got married at sixteen with permission. She wasn't an adult. She had to have permission from her parents to marry.
The legal voting age in America used to be 21, but was lowered to 18 because of the draft. 16-year-olds to me, don't have any right to vote.

So what, exactly, makes eighteen year olds so much more of a worthy set of people?

They're still teenagers. Some will still be going through puberty. Some will be more childish than the average six year old. Some will continue to stay with their parents. They can't drink.

There will never be another "draft". What's the point? Why not raise it to twenty-one?

Martian:

The report also found that 59% of young people have little interest in politics and that only 31% felt there is a duty to vote.

I can use statistics too =)

Anyway, how many 16 year olds can properly vote for a class president let alone a real president or prime minister?

I agree with dru, they have no right to vote.
I've met way too many ignorant 16 year olds to change my opinion.

Who did they survey?

And even so, if 31% felt there was a need to vote, shouldn't they be given a chance?

And I've had to deal with so many ignorant adults of varying ages but I don't tar every single one of them with the same brush.

Timerous Beastie.:

And even so, if 31% felt there was a need to vote, shouldn't they be given a chance?

Yes. And they will have the chance when they are 18.

druscilla; overdose.:

Timerous Beastie.:

And even so, if 31% felt there was a need to vote, shouldn't they be given a chance?

Yes. And they will have the chance when they are 18.

By the time they are eighteen, it could be too late.