Logo
  • Home
  • Ask
  • Teen Help Network
  • About
    • About Judge Tom
    • Books
    • FAQs
    • Press Room
  • Your Rights
    • Crime and Punishment
    • Student Rights at School
    • You and Your Body
    • You and the Internet
    • Juvenile Justice System
    • LGBT Youth Rights
    • More Categories
  • Blog
  • Get Help
    • Videos
    • A Teenager’s Guide to Juvenile Court
    • Books
    • Research & Resources
  • Newsletter Signup

 

Q&A

Know your rights! Youth justice and juvenile law answers.

Askthejudge.info features regular updates from the news, important decisions from the nation′s courts, and online discussions with Judge Tom. Find out everything you need to know about youth rights, juvenile law and juvenile justice. AsktheJudge – Empowering youth one question at a time.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this site is made available to the general public and is not intended to serve as legal advice.You should consult a trained legal professional in your area for questions you may have about the laws affecting juveniles or any legal interpretations.

Copyright, 2014
Logo
January 27, 2008
Judge Tom
Talk Back
2

Should 16 and 17-year-olds be allowed to vote?

PreviousNext

Passage of the 26th Amendment in 1971 granted 11 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 21 the right to vote. There has been some discussion in recent years of lowering the age to 16.

Lawmakers in New York City, Baltimore, Texas, Maine, Minnesota and California have proposed such a change, although with little success. In eighteen states minors can vote in their state’s primary if they are 17 and turn 18 before the general election in November.

Photo by Vox Efx (Flickr)

Those in favor argue that 17-year-olds can join the military with a parent’s consent and should likewise be entitled to cast a vote.  Many young people are interested in environmental and education issues as well as politics as evidenced by this year’s appeal to the youth vote by presidential candidates.

Opponents argue that few teens will actually vote based on statistics from past elections. In the 2004 presidential election, 18 to 24-year-olds had the lowest turnout by age [47%]. They further argue that 16 and 17-year-olds lack experience and maturity.

Several countries have led the way to a lower voting age. In 2007 Austria changed its age to 16, joining Brazil, Cuba and Nicaragua.

What do you think about this proposal? Do you feel that you should be allowed to vote when you turn 16 or 17? If yes, will you register to vote and go to the polls on election day? Far too many Americans fail to vote–will you be one of those or instead be an example for your elders to follow? For more information about voting take a look at:  www.rockthevote.org  and  www.declareyourself.com.

Share this
Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

Find great resources in our

Teen Help Network


Leave A Comment Cancel reply

2 Comments

  • David Bradley
    April 10, 2008 11:55 pm count( 0 )

    From the beginning your blog seemed pretty dull for me. But now it keeps getting better. THIS post is just AWESOME!

  • amy yazzie
    February 28, 2008 12:37 pm count( 1 )

    They should be allowed to vote

    Judge Tom’s response:
    Thanks for your comment, Amy.