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Voting Age
Voting age denotes a minimum age
instituted by law that an individual should have before they become entitled to
the ballot in a public poll. States often plan
primary election for bureaus and the presidency on different dates (Ncsl.org. para.1). When the privilege to the ballot was
being instituted in social equality, the balloting age was set at 21or higher,
and later, numerous countries, including America, decreased the voting age to
18 (Desilver para.7). It was asserted that young men could be drafted to go to
warfare at 18year. The paper discusses the reasons for reducing the balloting
age to seventeen years for primary elections.
Reasons
for Lowering the Voting Age to 17 Years for Primary Elections
At 17 years, one can be able to leave home, pay taxes, work, marry,
drive a car, go to war, or make a contract. Additionally, they can own a gun,
or be held unlawfully responsible like a grownup. By this, they should be
allowed to vote in the primary election provided they will be 18 by November. Each
responsibility or right in American society presents distinctive questions reliant
on the specific concern at stake. 17 years is the age of majority. At 17 years,
individuals are just wise and politically aware. For instance, the youths at
this age usually interact with grownups in the political career to gain enough
acquaintance in the field. Lowering the voting age to 17 gives teens more of
investment regarding what is happening (Aph.gov. para. 6). Additionally,
engaging young people of this age in decision-making greatly helps to improve
apathy, which is the major problem facing America. Engaging the youths in the
decision will improve several things, for example, their creativity and ability
to solve political issues. Again,
youngsters voting at this age will be a politically interested minority and
self-selecting who will add real value to the political discourse.
The young individuals currently are far well equipped emotionally,
physically, and intellectually to create the kind of choices included in
balloting than where previous generations composed of the youngster. The
individuals are informed as grownups because of the influence of current communications,
for instance, TV, radio, and mobile phones. They are well well-informed in all
vital processes of their time, rural, and urban, local and national, and
domestic and foreign. 17-year-olds are generally intelligent and aware of the
performance of their country (Aph.gov. para. 7). Voting at this age is the only
single principle youths may pursue in a state if they are to thrive in bringing
their full involvement in American establishments of the autonomous regime. In
several cases, 17 to 21-year-olds already possess an improved education than a large
proportion of grownups among the American general electorate.
The youths have a far better education compared to the massive
majority of the electorate in all preceding periods of American history. The
youths today are a great deal, more sophisticated, and very mature. The youth's
role in matters such as environment, Vietnam, and rights is still active. Nearly
30 percent of American forces in Vietnam are below 21 years (Aph.gov. para. 14).
Via their effective societal participation and their involvement in platforms,
for example, Vista, and the Peace Force, the youngsters have taken the lead on
vital issues both overseas and at home-based. They have set a far-reaching
example of commitment and insight for other people to emulate. Via this dynamic
role of the youth’s in-state development, it reveals that they are much ready
to face challenges in their daily activities, and this promotes the lowering of
the balloting age.
Lowering the balloting age will also inspire civic accountability at
an earlier stage and so promoting lasting social participation and party-political
involvement for the youngsters. They will also develop political virtues, for
instance, honesty, transparency, and patience. It is well known that there is a
high occurrence of party-political activity on campuses and amongst young
individuals despite that they do not possess the franchise. No one who has gone
either college or high school recently may fail to be overwhelmed by their
dedication and acquaintance. Therefore, granting them the privilege to vote,
the country will have demonstrated the recognition of their capability and the
county's confidence in their capacity for future development within the
nation's political system. Despite the improvement the American government has
made in recent years, it must still do more to upgrade the political
involvement of their youth, particularly their young adults from 17 years of
age.
The practice of the franchise and its anticipation offers a strong inducement
for greater political participation and understanding. By lowering the balloting
age to the 17-year group for primary elections, the government will encourage
political activity among the youths. Moreover, the American government should
lower the voting age since it will enable the youths to enlarge the connotation
of participatory democracy in the nation's society.
Low voting age will also give the youngsters a novel arena for their
energy, activism, and idealism. The youths decline the basic idea that the
involvement of learners in violent protests shows that they lack responsibility
for the mature practice of the franchise as it is only a few youths who are
involved. The 17-year-olds consider it as unfair for the regime to penalize
them by denying them the voting rights because only a small percentage of the
youths are involved.
Since society enforces the extraordinary burden of warfare on its
youngsters, it should grant them the benefit of full representation and
citizenship. The youngsters should also be allowed to vote in the primary
elections because the American's presence experience in balloting justifies its
extension to the whole nation. The balloting age must be lowered to improve the
general quality of the nation's electorate and make it more truly
representative of America’s society. The addition of the youngsters to the
voters will result in a cohort of enthusiastic, sensitive, and vigorous novel
voters.
The American youths are all political partisans, and lowering the
age and allowing them to vote will be a brilliant idea. Furthermore, the
privilege to vote is the central political right in the American constitutional
system. It is perceived as the keystone of all their other basic privileges.
Thus, youngsters should be entitled to vote. They should also be allowed to
vote to insure, in the famous words of the Massachusetts Bill of Rights, that
their government may be a regime of rules and not of menfolk.
The 17-year-olds have their judgmental area of the human brain
developed, and this enables them to demand their rights as they can
differentiate between the wrong the right. The youths at this age still have
more experience of life, especially in their adulthood stage, so it is correct
to give them the right to vote. In every age group, the youths are the people
who can quickly identify the current challenges facing the nation. Therefore, allowing
them to vote promotes the economic growth of the country by supporting
productive activities, for example, agriculture, and trade.
In conclusion, in most nations, voting is obligatory for those
entitled to the ballot, while in others it is optional. The youths should be
given the privilege to the ballot in the primary elections so they can also
present their ideas and views since they are the leaders of the future. Some
other ways of selecting contenders may include nomination meetings,
conventions, and caucuses. The contender who moves from the primary to be prosperous
in the overall election takes over public office.
Works Cited
Aph.gov. "2. Lowering the Voting Age
– Parliament of Australia". Aph.Gov.Au,
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Electoral_Matters/VotingAge/Advisory_report/section?id=committees%2Freportjnt%2F024195%2F26301.
Desilver, Drew. "Primary Turnout for
2016 High but not Quite a Record". Pew Research Center, 2016, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/06/10/turnout-was-high-in-the-2016-primary-season-but-just-short-of-2008-record/.
Ncsl.org. "2020 State Primary
Election Dates". Ncsl.Org, 2020, https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx.
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