Poll: Voting Age
- Thread starter Pezzer
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16 makes sense to me. *remove bias for being 16*
A lot more things should be 16, lets face it, idiots are going to do illegal things/vote etc no matter what age they are.
A lot more things should be 16, lets face it, idiots are going to do illegal things/vote etc no matter what age they are.
You have just solved all the world's problems.slevin8989 said:
But seriously, I think that it should be 16 as most people are clever enough to make their own decisions by 16.
I'm 17 years old but I feel that I could make a sensible political decision. So I say 16. But the current age limit of 18 in Britain is fine I guess =D
I guess I'm in the minority in saying "any age". Not that I think many 6-year-olds will make it to the polls. But if they are interested enough to vote, they have just as much at stake (maybe more) in the future of the country, so they should have a voice. Hell, most 5th graders have a better understanding of politics than adults who just vote along party lines.
I say this as a 24-year-old.
I say this as a 24-year-old.
I'd say 16 because the government affects young people too.
Any younger would abuse it. I can imagine some stupid 13 year old boys writing 'Jedi!! lol!" or something.
Any younger would abuse it. I can imagine some stupid 13 year old boys writing 'Jedi!! lol!" or something.
I think anything below an minimum of 18 is too young. Its not that all under 18's aren't mature enough/don't know enough about politics/whatever else, to put in a useful vote but, too many are. To be perfectly honest, I think 18 is too young but there's not a lot I can do about it. And don't get me started on the legal age for marriage in the U.K...
If you're old enough to pay taxes on your wages when you are sixteen, then you deserve the right to decide how that money is spent, and hence the right to vote. I also think it should be lowered to encourage more people to vote. There's too much laziness and apathy in Britain when it comes to voting, and yet everyone is more than willing to ***** about the state of the government. So sad!
I think lowering the voting age is a terrible idea. Granted I have no faith in the youth of the western world, to me they are pretty much all shallow, materialistic adn empty headed. granted thats how the older generations have let them become but I just dont think anyone under the age of 20 can think any deeper than whether or not they are gonnna get laid at the party this weekend or who likes who, or who slept with who..
To the OP, if you can give me an accurate and complete write-out of the way your goverment process works without resorting to copying from some wiki then I might change my mind but I highly doubt it. Most people over 20 dont know how their government works.
Now if you had to take a test and obtain a liscense to vote and then have to renew that liscense every 2 years then I would endorse that as it would force people who want to vote to keep up on the ins and outs of their government.
To the OP, if you can give me an accurate and complete write-out of the way your goverment process works without resorting to copying from some wiki then I might change my mind but I highly doubt it. Most people over 20 dont know how their government works.
Now if you had to take a test and obtain a liscense to vote and then have to renew that liscense every 2 years then I would endorse that as it would force people who want to vote to keep up on the ins and outs of their government.
The best thing is that 16 year olds can (legally) have hot rampant sex but can't (legally) buy or watch videos depicting it. Funny no?Pezzer said:
They can legally procreate but not legally buy alcohol - copious amounts of which will be required before I am ever allowed to procreate. Fortunately I am CRIPPLINGLY OLD and hence can solve that problem myself - although it does increase the alcohol requirement.
But yes, 16 year olds can live alone, bring a child into the world, hold down a full-time job and yet can't vote (for a political representative to act on their behalf) to lower their taxes, to increase child benefits or to adopt the EU working week directive. Madness I tell you.
The problem is, most of those who are able to competently do this at age 18 can do it by age 16, whereas those who can't still can't decades later.sallene said:
Yeah but I'm sure you could name a lot of people you know who couldn't make a sensible political decision. I know I can.JanatUrlich said:
I'd keep it at 18... Seriously, you can find as many 15 year olds who can make a sensible political choice as 25 year olds who are too easily swayed by shallow propaganda (OK, maybe actually less), so tweaking it either way wouldn't really change much, methinks.
I think an ideal situation would be that anyone above the age 15, for example, should be allowed to take a test checking their basic knowledge of their country's history, constitution (if there's one), political systems, basic economic theory, and only those who pass that test should be allowed to vote and counted in the pool of total voters. Such a test wouldn't have to be too difficult, and even people who had no previous knowledge of such things would at least gain some understanding while preparing for it.
I think an ideal situation would be that anyone above the age 15, for example, should be allowed to take a test checking their basic knowledge of their country's history, constitution (if there's one), political systems, basic economic theory, and only those who pass that test should be allowed to vote and counted in the pool of total voters. Such a test wouldn't have to be too difficult, and even people who had no previous knowledge of such things would at least gain some understanding while preparing for it.