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I Think 16-year-olds Should NOT Vote
"Sixteen-year olds are not politically educated enough to vote."
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By Lauryn Silverman
Sixteen-year olds are not politically educated enough to vote.
Most teenagers that I know do not spend their time catching up on the news, reading about candidates in the upcoming elections, or researching propositions. And the miniscule amount most sixteen year olds know about politics comes from adults.
If we don’t even know about all the steps involved in the voting process, it’s ridiculous to allow us to vote. I’m a high school sophomore, and when I mention the word primary in my history class, no one except the teacher had any idea what I was talking about.
There are enough teenagers in the country to tip an election, which might sound good until you realize what would happen if they vote unprepared. Teenagers tend to think that the laws passed by politicians don’t directly affect them. But when a law is passed to stop immigrants from getting driver’s licenses, or politicians suggest they’ll prevent gay marriage forever, teenagers will have to live with the consequences.
Some people might say that the obvious answer to this problem would be to educate kids about politics. But with homework, sports, jobs and other activities, let’s be realistic. It’s more rational for us to wait until we have the time and energy to really understand what we’re voting for.
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