Should the Voting Age be Changed/Lowered?

[Logar]

Fuck no. Teens are idiots. Like 2 years isn’t doing much but at least it is something

[[deleted user]]

ray ੈ✩‧₊˚ wrote: "I knew a 16 year old girl that told me she genuinely wanted to marry trump… I laughed because he’s SUPER old so I assumed she was joking… she was not and now she hates me 🧍"

wth?? dat's cray-cray

[butterfly is back (barely, mostly on insta)]

Sage wrote: "people who pay taxes should get to vote. If 16 year olds are gonna get to vote, 16 year olds should pay taxes. imo"

I paid taxes at 16?

[butterfly is back (barely, mostly on insta)]

Many people do not pay tax even when older than 16?

[butterfly is back (barely, mostly on insta)]

In the uk people at 16 can vote in parts of the uk
The voting age is lowering to 16
Generally 16-24y/os are quite splot between reform uk and green party
But not mucj love for the 2 main partirs

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

Can we change the wording to just "Should the voting age be changed/lowered?"

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

butterfly is back (barely, mostly on insta) wrote: "Sage wrote: "people who pay taxes should get to vote. If 16 year olds are gonna get to vote, 16 year olds should pay taxes. imo"

I paid taxes at 16?"

yeah lol. and i paid taxes at 14 since thats when i got employed so. but i would not trust a 14 yro to vote

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

Well anyway i'ma send my essay...

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

Leading up to the American revolution, one thing tipped America’s early colonists over the edge—and tipped their tea over the edge of their boats, too. One cry rang out above the others. One huge idea our entire government, our entire nation, was formed on. No taxation without representation.
I am a fourteen-year-old American citizen living two hundred and fifty years after the Declaration of Independence was signed. I work, and get paid monthly via check. Each check I get, around 7% of money is taken out for various taxes, including social security and medicare. Every month the government is taking my money and I, as a minor, get no say in where my money goes. I get no say in the way this government is run, or in who is running it.
Youth around America struggle with this. 80% of high school students work at some point before graduating. An estimated 6.4 million teenagers have jobs and are being forced to pay taxes. As of 2025, around 2% of taxpayers are under the age of 18. While that may seem like a small percentage, it is still millions of youth. Teens pay an estimated $9.7 billion per year in sales taxes alone, not to mention many hundreds of millions in taxes on income. According to the Internal Revenue Service, “You may be a teen, you may not even have a permanent job, but you have to pay taxes on the money you earn.”
Youth pay billions in taxes to state, local, and federal governments, yet they have absolutely no say in where their tax money goes. Why are teenagers given adult responsibilities but not adult rights? This is taxation without representation.
The law currently states that any American citizen aged 18 and older can vote. The questions we must ask ourselves are these: does the current voting policy support the morals and principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence? Does it protect our God-given and constitutional rights to get a say in where our money goes?

When our country was brand-new, voting rights were given only to white men who owned property. Some states even employed religious tests to ensure those who voted were Christian. It wasn’t until 1821 that all white men the age of 21 and older were given the power to vote. Nearly fifty years later, in 1870, the fifteenth amendment removed all barriers related to “race, color, or previous condition of servitude,” providing all American men with the right to vote. It took another fifty years until women nationwide were given the ability to vote due to the nineteenth amendment. The latest amendment related to voting is the twenty-sixth in 1971, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
As America has progressed, as our country has grown and changed, the law has needed to be amended. Certain rights that were previously denied have now been realized and given to those whom they were withheld from. Change is necessary, especially in a relatively young, constantly progressing country such as ours.
I believe that minors should be given the right to vote, so long as they pay income taxes to the government. It could be argued that minors are too immature, their brains are too underdeveloped, or that they simply don’t have enough life experience. To me, none of these seem to be entirely valid points.
The first argument I’ve heard regarding my point is that minors are too immature to make decisions about something that affects millions of adults nationwide. This is a fair point, though not entirely valid. I would argue that no magical changes occur between ages seventeen and eighteen that grant maturity to a previously immature person. While it is certainly true that the difference in maturity between a fourteen-year-old such as myself and an eighteen-year-old is visible, I feel it doesn’t much come into play here.
Maturity has little to do with voting. One does not need to be mature in order to know which points of view they agree with. By the time at which someone is mature enough to have a job, work, and pay taxes, they should have fundamental ideas of right and wrong, of morals and principles. Further maturity is hardly needed to vote for the candidate whose views better support your own.
A Professor at University Communications shows some research on maturity levels in adolescents versus adults: “Intellectual abilities such as logical reasoning reach adult levels long before psychosocial maturity is achieved. Researchers found that certain cognitive abilities reach adult levels by the age of 16.”
Another argument an opponent might bring up is the underdevelopment of different parts of minors’ brains. This seems to be a very similar point to the one about maturity. Here are a couple facts about the development of the teenage brain: “The prefrontal cortex, the brain's center for judgment and planning, matures last and is less developed in a minor’s brain than in an adult's. This leads to more impulsiveness and emotional processing through the amygdala as a minor compared to an adult's greater reliance on the prefrontal cortex for rational thought.”
I agree that rational thought is indeed an important thing when it comes to voting. However, as mentioned above, the development in the brain between a younger teenager and an eighteen-year-old is not entirely significant. As the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until around the age of twenty five, that argument is only valid if the person behind it is wishing for the voting age to be moved upward. As I have met close to zero people hoping for that, I don’t feel the need to counter it.
I’ve heard the argument made that minors do not have enough life experience to be voting. That they don’t know enough about the candidates, or about how different laws will affect them. I would like to state that I do not wish for a law to be passed that says anyone who pays taxes must vote. If a minor doesn’t care to learn about the things they would vote for, they are not required to vote, and most likely won’t take the time and effort to do so.
If minors don’t know about the effect of the laws, or about the running candidates, in this day and age it is all too easy to learn more. Minors have access to the same resources and political opinions as adults do, and are perfectly capable of forming their own opinions.
There is one more point I’ve heard to support the argument that minors should not be given the right to vote. The point is that minors are too easily influenced by peers and guardians. This is extremely true, and a very valid argument that I do, in fact, agree with. However, it does not apply to just minors.
A huge part of life is the people you interact with. Everyone is influenced by those around them. The way you are influenced growing up affects your life even after you become an adult and live independently. Coworkers, friends, bosses, and other people in one’s adult life can influence us just as much as parents, siblings, and classmates do when we are young.
Studies confirm that peer influence continues into adulthood, affecting decisions related to finances, health behaviors like drinking and exercise, and even mental health outcomes like depression. Researchers found that the influence of peer pressure continues into early adulthood. “While other studies suggest that this influence nearly disappears after late adolescence, we find it here — though more limited — in young adulthood and even in middle age.” This is from a researcher and assistant professor of psychology in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences (BBS).
The fact that people can sway our opinions and influence us is a part of life, and teenagers—being the stubborn people they are—are perfectly capable of holding on to their beliefs.
The simple truth is that if an American pays taxes, that person deserves a vote in where their tax dollars go. We don’t withhold that from anyone else, so why withhold that from minors who are forced to pay taxes with nothing in return? I see no reason that those American citizens who pay taxes should not have the right to vote, even if they are minors.
Americans once rallied around the cry of no taxation without representation. Let that cry ring once again, and give those American citizens the representation they deserve. Thank you.

[Sai :), Assistant Moderator]

Sage wrote: "Leading up to the American revolution, one thing tipped America’s early colonists over the edge—and tipped their tea over the edge of their boats, too. One cry rang out above the others. One huge i..."

^^^^
alsooo that's such a fire essay!!!!

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

Sai :) wrote: "Sage wrote: "Leading up to the American revolution, one thing tipped America’s early colonists over the edge—and tipped their tea over the edge of their boats, too. One cry rang out above the other..."

thanksss

[Syd]

@sage wow that’s a lot. Haven’t read it yet but I will. I bet it’s really good tho

[Sai :), Assistant Moderator]

i think that yes, it should be lowered, mainly because politicians should have to consider the opinions of the youngest generation and the long-term, far-reaching impacts of their policies. because someday these teens will be adults with careers and families, and we need to make politicians care about that. also, yes, their minds are still developing. that's honestly even more reason to have politicians make policies suited to their needs.

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

thats really interesting!! but i feel like a better solution would be to have minors not pay income tax, and then they can vote and pay taxes when they are 18.

i do agree though that the maturity and frontal cortex issues are largely invalid, but *most* of the time people that young will just vote for the candidate their parents vote for, so then its a competition of which side has the most kids.

this is a very interesting subject though and i would love to see more thoughts on this topic

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

Sai :) wrote: "i think that yes, it should be lowered, mainly because politicians should have to consider the opinions of the youngest generation and the long-term, far-reaching impacts of their policies. because..."

oooh this is a really good point! the decisions of today will effect Gen Z and Gen Alpha most

[Barnette ⋆˙⟡ (my girlfriend's version), Creator, Head Moderator]

Sage wrote: "Can we change the wording to just "Should the voting age be changed/lowered?""

I'm good with that!

[Sai :), Assistant Moderator]

also yes, teens will struggle from lack of information and peer pressure. but won't this make politicians care even more about these issues? we've already seen that people in power don't care about those they don't have to, and this is a way to make them consider the opinions of the youngest generation. which is the generation that quite frankly matters the most, because they'll be here the longest. if you're an 80 year old president (cough cough last two presidents) you don't necessarily have to worry about long-term impacts because you won't be here. but with this policy, you will.

[Sai :), Assistant Moderator]

Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "thats really interesting!! but i feel like a better solution would be to have minors not pay income tax, and then they can vote and pay taxes when they are 18.

i do agree though that the maturity..."

that's true, they might just vote for whoever their parents are voting for. but adulthood doesn't necessarily get rid of that, and when politicians start targeting teens, they will be exposed to more views.

[~Elliana~]

NooooooOoooooooooooooo absolutely not

[~Elliana~]

Teens are IDIOTS and the change their minds WAY too much

[Sai :), Assistant Moderator]

✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "NooooooOoooooooooooooo absolutely not"

lol why? just curious

[~Elliana~]

(im teen so i can say that)

[~Elliana~]

Sai :) wrote: "✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "NooooooOoooooooooooooo absolutely not"

lol why? just curious"

Becuase , MOST teens couldn't care less about the USA and we also tend to have CRAZY mood swings and are still tryna figure out who we are and what we believe. So lowering the voting age and giving that privilege is COSTLY and I feel like we'd vote on who validates our FEELINGS rather than the person who'd prioritize FACTS

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

yes but adults do that too. ur frontal cortex isnt fully developed until you are 25 so we could up it (i dont know if anyone wants to up it. the only reason i would be in support of this is if people below 25 didnt pay taxes, but then people above 25 would have to pay more taxes to make up for it so). and again if you are a teen paying taxes and not allowed to vote, thats taxation without representation.

[~Elliana~]

Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "yes but adults do that too. ur frontal cortex isnt fully developed until you are 25 so we could up it (i dont know if anyone wants to up it. the only reason i would be in support of this is if peop..."

Mehhhhhh

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

meh is crazy work lol. mad respect😂

[Ophelia ˚࿔]

as someone who isn’t even 16 but is informed about politics and would love to be able to vote, I initially wanted to say yes, but a lot of teenagers are immature, and don’t know enough about the world to vote. I wish that in school they could teach more about politics, specifically from a point of view that’s central so you can become informed and learn to make your own decisions and choices with politics, but that likely won’t happen and I’m not sure how much that would change things. A lot of teenagers still base their political views off of what their parents believe, which I think isn’t a good thing for them to be voting with that, and once again they may make impulsive and uninformed choices, which is not good because, well, who wins an election can completely change not only the country but the world

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

yes i would love to teach younger kids more about politics!! it wasnt until about a year ago that i actually decided to learn more about other sides of the political spectrum and formed my own ideas and opinions

[~Elliana~]

Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "meh is crazy work lol. mad respect😂"

Well , we are represented by our parents

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

not if you have different views than your parents.

[soph ₊˚ෆ (semi-ia) 🍉]

✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "meh is crazy work lol. mad respect😂"

Well , we are represented by our parents"

not necessarily, i have very different views than my parents
although sometimes a lot of your political/religious views are drilled into you by your parents from a young age, so that definitely has a bit of influence on your decisions

[soph ₊˚ෆ (semi-ia) 🍉]

Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "yes but adults do that too. ur frontal cortex isnt fully developed until you are 25 so we could up it (i dont know if anyone wants to up it. the only reason i would be in support of this is if peop..."

honestly i agree with everything you said, i'd prefer to up it instead of lowering it down, but then after you hit 25 you'd be paying more taxes. it's odd though that people expect you to make major decisions such as the next leader of your country before your brain has even developed though lmao

[~Elliana~]

Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "not if you have different views than your parents."

No , still even then becuase we are under their authority.

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

soph ₊˚ෆ (joey's version) 🍉 wrote: "Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "yes but adults do that too. ur frontal cortex isnt fully developed until you are 25 so we could up it (i dont know if anyone wants to up it. t..."

yeah lol though adults still act and think silly sometimes so. who even knows lol

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "not if you have different views than your parents."

No , still even then becuase we are under their authority."

well they might represent us legally but if you have different views then you wont represent them well

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "Teens are IDIOTS and the change their minds WAY too much"

ok but HERES THE THING. Voting has nothing to do with the intelligence or stability of a person. It never has. We vote for where our tax money goes. It's about how if we benefit the government, we should get a say in who we're benefiting.

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

soph ₊˚ෆ (joey's version) 🍉 wrote: "Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "yes but adults do that too. ur frontal cortex isnt fully developed until you are 25 so we could up it (i dont know if anyone wants to up it. t..."

it shouldn't be moved up. The reason it was moved below 21 was because of the "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" argument. It would be wrong to ignore that and allow 18 year olds to fight for their government but not vote for it.

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "Sai :) wrote: "✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "NooooooOoooooooooooooo absolutely not"

lol why? just curious"

Becuase , MOST teens couldn't care less about the USA and we also tend to have CRAZY mood ..."

if they don't care, THEY WONT VOTE. No one would be forcing them to. And anyway, you think all of a sudden they'll care once they're 18?

[Tessie, Assistant Moderator]

Sage- your arguments are beautiful!!! I disagreed before… but you’ve convinced me!

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

Tessie wrote: "Sage- your arguments are beautiful!!! I disagreed before… but you’ve convinced me!"

lol thank you I'm very proud of that essay, actually

[~Elliana~]

I guess not.

[Sai :), Assistant Moderator]

Sage wrote: "✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "Sai :) wrote: "✧E l l i · R o s e✧ wrote: "NooooooOoooooooooooooo absolutely not"

lol why? just curious"

Becuase , MOST teens couldn't care less about the USA and we a..."

exactly!! a lot of people think there's something so special about adulthood, when there really isn't. adults' views are still not always their own. they are still affected by peer pressure and are rarely fully informed.

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

sage ur a creature to be studied. i mean that as a compliment btw lol. u can tell uve put a lot of research and effort into this!!

[soph ₊˚ෆ (semi-ia) 🍉]

honestly sage i just read ur essay and that was so masterfully done omg. you seem to be very well researched on this, i loved reading it!

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

Jupiter (previously charis) (God’s Version ✝️) wrote: "sage ur a creature to be studied. i mean that as a compliment btw lol. u can tell uve put a lot of research and effort into this!!"

😭thanks I think lol

[Sage, Assistant Moderator]

soph ₊˚ෆ (joey's version) 🍉 wrote: "honestly sage i just read ur essay and that was so masterfully done omg. you seem to be very well researched on this, i loved reading it!"

Yay thank you!! It was honestly so much fun to write I've never enjoyed writing anything more (I mean that's not entirely true I'm a writer so I enjoy all writing lol but like yk...)

[Pierce Samuel ✞︎ (My Girlfriend's Ver.)]

Sage wrote: "Leading up to the American revolution, one thing tipped America’s early colonists over the edge—and tipped their tea over the edge of their boats, too. One cry rang out above the others. One huge i..."

You ate so hard

[Pierce Samuel ✞︎ (My Girlfriend's Ver.)]

Like I saw notis from this topic and was like "No obviously not" but you've made great points, might need to rethink my stance LOL

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

Pierce Samuel ✞︎ (My Girlfriend's Ver.) wrote: "Like I saw notis from this topic and was like "No obviously not" but you've made great points, might need to rethink my stance LOL"

THATS WHAT IM SAYING BRO

[Jupiter (God’s Version ✝️)]

SAGE ATE SM