Sen. John Vasconcellos is proposing a bill that would lower the
legal voting age in California to 14. If the bill is passed, votes
by 14- to 15-year-olds would count as a quarter of a vote and the
votes of 16- to 17-year-olds would be counted as half a vote.
Sen. John Vasconcellos is proposing a bill that would lower the legal voting age in California to 14. If the bill is passed, votes by 14- to 15-year-olds would count as a quarter of a vote and the votes of 16- to 17-year-olds would be counted as half a vote. This would apply only in California state elections, and local elections. The bill would have to win two-thirds approval by the legislature to be on the November ballot.
Vasconcellos is proposing this to encourage larger turnouts by young people at the polls and to get younger people more involved in politics at a younger age.
What 14-year-old do you know that knows or cares about politics or has the patience to learn about them? I don’t think most are ready to hold a state’s fate in their hands.
This idea is formally called “Training Wheels for Citizenship.” That makes the idea sound even worse. I think it is important to be somewhat educated about politics at a younger age, but having 14-year-olds vote is not going to make them more involved. It is just going to result in uneducated votes.
In school, students don’t even have a class that focuses totally on the U.S. government and how it works until they are seniors. I am in government this year and it has really opened my eyes and made me very aware of how things work. It also has made an impact on some of my views on different issues.
I am sure there are some 14-year-olds who do have opinions and are aware of what is going on in the government. But most don’t have a clue. I know I didn’t start getting involved or caring about the government until I was about 16. Many students at Gilroy High School, even some that are seniors, don’t know much about the country’s politics or know what their views are on different issues. This comes from apathy, not being aware and the fact that most major issues just don’t concern minors.
When you are 14 you are at the end of junior high or just starting high school. Starting high school is really hard and a big change. You have a whole new school, new teachers and new classes. I don’t think the state should give them the responsibility of educating themselves about all the things they would be voting on. That is just too much change at one time. They should be able to be kids as long as they can. Let them be kids and not have to worry about politics.
When you are 14, people around you and or the media can very easily persuade you to think different ways. When you are an adult you are not as easily persuaded. It is true most kids do get their political views from their parents, but I think kids should also have their own views. The younger the voter is the less likely that would be.
Turning 18 is a big deal for teenagers. In the government’s eyes you are an adult, which makes you feel good. You don’t have to have your parent’s permission on most things at school, you can buy lotto tickets and you can get your driver’s license without going through the six months of having a permit. But, with being an adult, comes responsibility. One of the most exciting things I am looking forward to is my responsibility to vote when I turn 18.
Voting is something you do when you are an adult because it is one of your responsibilities as a full citizen. It just doesn’t seem that 14-year-olds have earned that right.
