The 26th amendment states: "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age of older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age." Bottom line, anyone who is eighteen or older can vote. That means that some high school seniors can vote. Wow! Think about it; if we were all a year or two older we would be able to vote. How are we possibly old enough to know who is the best fit leader of our great nation? How are high school seniors old enough to know this? In the last couple of years, it seems a popular motto has been embraced by many celebrities and political activists: "Vote or Die!" (as seen on the left). I have some serious issues with this slogan and even this amendment.
To me, the motto encourages even those who have not done appropriate research or know anything about either canadite to vote. Is that what voting is about? To me, a presidential candidate should win because people truly support his/her views over those of his/her opponents. After asking many of my voting-eligable friends about their political preferences, it seemed that these kids knew very little, yet still had strong feelings. When asked why one (anonymous) student openly supported Barack Obama, he replied that he simply didn't want Governor Palin to be in the White House. When pressured further about his response, I found he had no information to back up his claim. Another student, who openly supported one (unamed) candidate told me that they supported him because their parents do. Another student told me that they supported a certain candidate because they agreed with his view. I was excited to finally hear a knowledgable response, but when I asked which views they supported, they told me "all of them; i don't know; i guess because my parents support them."
Although there were some students who were educated upon the viewpoints of the candidates, I was shocked at the overwhelming number of potential voters that knew practically nothing about either candidate. Honestly, I began to question whether we should raise the voting age, but why does it matter if the person is 18 or 21? If they don't take time to investigate at the age of 18, who's to say that they will when they are 21? For this reason, I strongly urge a new motto for voting: "Vote AND RESEARCH or Die." Hopefully more people will start to research both of the candidates in future elections, in order to elect the best and truly most supported candidate. I am optimistic that the choice of Barack Obama for president will be a good one, and hopefully the people who voted for him actually supported the views that he holds.
3 comments:
I understand your argument and it always peeves me when the sole reason people support anything is "because their parents do." However, I do not think that the age should be raised to 21. At 18, you start off going to college or moving out, or just being considered an adult in society. That's why it is up to them to research or not, to use their vote wisely or through parental influence. Voting is a privelege that American citizens should have equal oppurtunity to use, whether they use it wisely or not.
I completely agree with you David. Before this year I really had no interest in politics, but something about having the opportunity of the first black president gave me some motivation to go out and get a little information. I will confess, there have been times like with the previous election when I only wanted who my parents wanted, but your new motto has inspired me.
While i understand your argument, i don't really think that it matters how old a person is when it comes to ignorance and a lack of responsibility. When polls have shown at points that 14% of Americans believed that Barack Obama is a muslim, i think you have to question the ability of all ages to vote. While i doubt that it will ever happen, i do believe that in a perfect world having a vote is a privilege that one may have only if they show a capability to make a reasonable decision based on legitimate information.
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