Should children be allowed to vote?

[Arta]

You miss the point, I think. Of course adults must be allowed to vote, regardless of their mental faculties. Since, imho, a non-trivial number of (perhaps older) teenagers are capable of making informed decisions, there's no particular reason why they shouldn't vote. In other words: the current age threshold is arbitrary.  You can drive and join the army before you're 18 (can here anyway); these are both adult activities. Why not reduce the threshold for voting rights? Why should it be 18? Why not 16, or 14?

[CrAz3D]

If I can vote @ 14, why can't I drink.

[Forged]

I don't know, ask your parents.  On that note, that is a good idea, allow minors to drink and smoke but do not allow them to buy their own ciggerates and alcohol.

[iago]

If I can vote @ 14, why can't I drink.

You can vote at 18, but you can't drink.  What's your point, exactly?

[Explicit]

Arta's post reminds me of a song by 2Pac, where he raps: "Did you ever stop to think..that I'm old enough to go to war, but I'm not old enough to drink?"

Anyway, there are times when teenagers do act mature.  One of those times can and should be when they are voting.  For example, during job interviews, you present yourself as professional, and in a sense, act like an adult.  You could just as easily apply that professional, adult-like manner toward voting, and of course, pick the immaturity back up after.

Edit: Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, I'm kind of tired.

[Rule]

You miss the point, I think. Of course adults must be allowed to vote, regardless of their mental faculties. Since, imho, a non-trivial number of (perhaps older) teenagers are capable of making informed decisions, there's no particular reason why they shouldn't vote. In other words: the current age threshold is arbitrary.  You can drive and join the army before you're 18 (can here anyway); these are both adult activities. Why not reduce the threshold for voting rights? Why should it be 18? Why not 16, or 14?

I'm sorry, but that is a ridiculous proposal.

At the age of 14, generally parents are making most if not all major life decisions for their children (regardless of whether they get some "input"): where the child lives, what he eats, where he goes to school, what literature/TV/media he is exposed to, what money he has to spend, and so on, is all determined by the parent.

Yes, children should have a say in things, but generally a kid of 14, or even 16, is not independent enough to be given such an important "right" (whatever choice he/she makes will be horribly clouded by the ever-so present influence his/her parents have over the child's life).   

Now at 18, the "young-adult" usually decides: where will I live?  will I work or go to college? what will I do for a living?   He is having to (for once) make major life decisions; only then does it follow that he should decide "who should I vote for?".

Of course our parents and where we grow up will always have an influence on us, and of course some adults are more immature than children.  However, at 18 we are given a much greater opportunity to think for ourselves for the most part, and it is only then that we should  be voting.

And of course there are some children (e.g. < 18) that would make excellent voters; conversely, we have to draw the line somewhere, and the age of 18 seems more sensible than most other times.


Edit: (Re: Arta)
Re: Driving:   Being under the control of your parents shouldn't affect so much whether you're a good driver or not: "good driving" isn't something that is too subjective in nature -- unless you're a fool you know what good driving means, and there are tests to try and insure those that have their license are responsible drivers.
I see the "right to drive" as something much different than the "right to vote".  While driving does not usually require critical independent thinking, voting does.

Re: war:  I don't think children under 18 should be allowed to go to war, for many of the reasons I don't think children under 18 should be allowed to vote.

[iago]

Arta's post reminds me of a song by 2Pac, where he raps: "Did you ever stop to think..that I'm old enough to go to war, but I'm not old enough to drink?"

Yeah, we've been making fun of the US by saying that for many years. 

They should move drinking/war/cigarettes/driving/everything to 21.  From working at a beer store, I know that 18-year-old kids are immature punks, and I hate them.  Therefore, they should have no rights. 

[hismajesty]

You miss the point, I think. Of course adults must be allowed to vote, regardless of their mental faculties. Since, imho, a non-trivial number of (perhaps older) teenagers are capable of making informed decisions, there's no particular reason why they shouldn't vote. In other words: the current age threshold is arbitrary. You can drive and join the army before you're 18 (can here anyway); these are both adult activities. Why not reduce the threshold for voting rights? Why should it be 18? Why not 16, or 14?

Maybe because we define "adult" as 18? It's an "adult" right. How is that not simple to understand? Plus, Government is generally taken when you're 17 or after you just turned 18 (depending on when you entered school.) It's good to have people educated before they vote.

Arta's post reminds me of a song by 2Pac, where he raps: "Did you ever stop to think..that I'm old enough to go to war, but I'm not old enough to drink?"

If you're in the military, you can have a drink at dinner and stuff if you're stationed overseas.

[CrAz3D]

Since when did drinking have anything to do with serving your country?

[Topaz]

Since when did drinking have anything to do with serving your country?

I think the point is knowing where to draw the line...

[CrAz3D]

Lots of people go on about saying that if you can die for your country you shouuld be able to drink.  I don't really see how it makes that big of a difference, it ain't like you're missing out on something super spectacular.  You can vote, thats what you NEED, you dont NEED to drink.

[Arta]

Of course it's nothing to do with serving your country. It's just thoroughly patronising and completely nonsensical: that you're allowed to volunteer for a job that might kill you, but not to go to a bar, is completely bizarre.

It relates to child voting a bit. If you're an adult at 18, you should be able to drink at 18. Incidentally, perhaps there's something to be said for raising the age at which one can join the military to 18, too. It seems to me that minors shouldn't be allowed to do that: most certainly, if they're old enough to decide to join the army, then they're old enough to vote!

[CrAz3D]

That's why you can vote @ 18 now.

"You're allowed to VOLUNTEER...".  People volunteer for the fire department & can die there, but you don't see people up in arms about not being able to drink as a firefighter

[Explicit]

That's why you can vote @ 18 now.

"You're allowed to VOLUNTEER...". People volunteer for the fire department & can die there, but you don't see people up in arms about not being able to drink as a firefighter

Fires are fought locally while wars are fought abroad.  It might help to compare conditions here to over there; we have hospitals that injured folks can be rushed to, but abroad, it's more difficult to receive medical treatment, not to mention the sanitation.

[CrAz3D]

That's why you can vote @ 18 now.

"You're allowed to VOLUNTEER...". People volunteer for the fire department & can die there, but you don't see people up in arms about not being able to drink as a firefighter

Fires are fought locally while wars are fought abroad.  It might help to compare conditions here to over there; we have hospitals that injured folks can be rushed to, but abroad, it's more difficult to receive medical treatment, not to mention the sanitation.

Army doctors do exist.  Sure they are MORE at risk, but they are both at risk nonetheless