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Just saw this on CNN.
California is considering allowing teens as young as 14 to vote to help improve voter turnout.
A 14 year olds vote would = 1/4th of a full vote
A 16 year olds vote would = 1/2 of a vote
So what do you guys think. Does this sound like a good idea?
Uhh... no. No I dont think this is a good idea.
For one thing, 14-16 year olds don't give a shit about anything, let alone politics.
For another, they're fucking stupid. "That's why you're kids, because you're stupid!".
What diffusionx said. Most adults aren't even intelligent enough to make an informed decision, what the hell makes them think kids are? Kids are much more easy to sway than adults as well.
whats the voting age there?
Here, voting is compulsory once you're 18.
I think nationally it's 18.
I guess thinks like video game censorship and cerfews for minors would really swing the vote there if it ends up happening.
"So Politician X wants to make it illegal for me to play M rated games? I'll vote for Politician Y then, even though his agenda might screw us all." *L*
While I have mixed feelings about this (there are some youngsters that are informed though that's more of an exception than a rule) I do think that they should at least have mock elections for them so the public can at least see how the youth feel about certain issues. It might not help directly but in the long run (especially if some of the concerns are acted on) could make a difference.
I don't like it at all.
I mean, from 14-18, your responsibilities are minimal. The issues that affect you are limited to a very small subset. Does a 14 year old give a damn abou the economy or health care or foreign policy or government regulation of industries or whatever ?
I mean, there's a reason why they can't vote right now. Most of the issues just don't mean anything to teens. They can vote to support issues with disregard to issues that don't relate to them. In essence, having 14 year olds vote would mean that a portion of the population vote for people who cater to a very small subset of the issues while screwing the majority of the population over.
Given the apathy of the typical adult voter, it wouldn't be surprising for teens to sway a vote... especially if a schools encourage their participation (like allowing them to skip classes to vote).
Under 18, they don't understand what it means to vote.
Seriously, most under 19 year olds I meet are still 'Under the influence of their friends'. They can't make a decision of their own without the chance of looking 'uncool' if their life depended on it.
Plus the fact that 80% of them are irresponsible and immature.
It's true and when you get over 20 and deal with people of that age, you'll see just how alike they all are (in most cases)
On the other hand, most 20 somethings are barely qualified to vote, let alone 18 year olds.
Voter turn out in the 2000 election was 50% of eligible voters. Which is quite pathetic.
Studies have shown that people who vote when they are young are much more likely to vote for the rest of their lives. Get young people interested and who knows, voter turn out 10 years from now could actually start approaching a decent percentage.
I'd rather see kids vote than old people.
Seriously, people should legally revert back to minors at age 65.
Living in California, I know what the kids are like around here. This is the worst idea in the history of mankind.
[Clever Gamecube joke]
Well, ALMOST! LOL~!!