Should 16 And 17 Year Olds Be Able To Vote Essay

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In the U.S, the ability to vote is a privilege, not a right granted to us, and as with any other privilege, we must earn it and take advantage of it. Within the states, only people aged 18 and older are eligible to vote, but in Takoma Park, Maryland, 16 and 17 year olds were granted the right to vote in municipal elections. The first person to cast his vote, underaged, was a teenager in Maryland named Ben Miller, according to an article written by Annys Shin. However, being the first to do so does not mean they have found a way to increase voter turnout. I believe that 16 and 17 year olds would not be old enough to be able to vote because at that point, they would only be about halfway through high school and lacking rigorous challenges they may face later on. Many wouldn’t even have the ability to drive yet which means that if they do not know the complexity of driving a car and understanding all the dangers, then they are not …show more content…
There would have to me some sort of test to gauge whether or not they know enough about how the government works in the first place to be eligible. Being halfway through high school, it would be another reason they may stress out and it may not be good for their health overall. It would also cause a divide between those who can vote early and those who can’t as well as use up more resources to administer these tests across the country. Once a teen is 18 years old, they have already learned a good amount of life skills, lived through some political issues and are old enough to understand some issues that are affecting their families directly and can enable them to vote for a change. Students younger than 18 are still trying to get themselves through schools,enduring the overall stress of maturing, or may be unaware of the full extent of some issues their families are having at