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Children Should Have The Right To Vote In Elections

We say that we have universal suffrage, and barriers based on wealth, colour and gender have all been torn down. Yet children, who are affected by the decisions of governments, have no voice in deciding who should govern the country. Are they too ignorant, too lacking in intelligence? If so, why don’t we apply those criteria to adults?

All the Yes points:

  1. Children are citizens like everyone else and voting does not have a qualification prerequisite.
  2. Children may not understand politics well, but neither do most voters
  3. The education system will be improved.

All the No points:

  1. Children are not emotionally secure enough to vote
  2. This will effectively lead to more votes to parents
  3. It should be lowered not scrapped all together
  4. education

Children are citizens like everyone else and voting does not have a qualification prerequisite.

Yes because…

[[http://www.education.com/magazine/article/middle_school_mental_development/]] Voting is a no-brain-er; either you like a party or you don’t. Extensive research to make an informed decision is optional and ultimately politicians on both sides do not have very different policies. Children can easily pick up on where views on an issue differ and decide on who they like better. Talking to your children about elections and viewpoints across the board then giving the child his/her choice-vote can be a very nice family activity, can be educational and should instill into a child the idea that s/he is important enough to make decisions on who and what should rule his/her country. [[http://www.personalgrowthplanet.com/otherarticles/childrenselfworth.htm]]

Little girls are better served thinking about smart politics than skinny models.
[[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199812)24:4%3C405::AID-EAT7%3E3.0.CO;2-D/abstract]]

No because…

Not all parents have the time to work with children in this exercise.

Childen may feel like they are under a lot of pressure and they might also get so excited about getting to vote that their school work will suffer.

Parents will get their kids to vote for the party of their choice.

Children may not understand politics well, but neither do most voters

Yes because…

To understand all the important topics and cast a well educated vote, you have to either work in politics or study it to the point of obsession. Most people do not have time for this and in most cases learn very little about politics. Children have quite a lot of free time and could quite easily learn more about current politics than most people if they wanted to.

No because…

The education system will be improved.

Yes because…

Minors are more likely to support spending on education, and local budgets will pass more often

No because…

Children are not emotionally secure enough to vote

No because…

Children are vulnerable. They hold a privileged position in society as we need to protect them. Childhood is about having fun and we should promote that rather than putting responsibility onto children as to voting. Statistics show that children these days do suffer from feeling too pressured from school work [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/child_development/primary_moods.shtml]], we should not add to this by allowing them to vote.

Yes because…

Hang on; voting is not work. Voting is an expression of self-worth via the knowledge that your opinion counts. [[http://books.google.com/books?id=yEfmf-NJohMC&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=voting+self+worth&source=bl&ots=d3FwC2uKjx&sig=e7T5OrNrxKrbVefiOeIdPz-exvY&hl=en&ei=fxHpTPfXKISPswbn28G2Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=voting%20self%20worth&f=false]]

Children today complain of drudgery, a loss of self worth generated from ever-increasing pressure to achieve academically and otherwise. The grade/trophy is valued not the child. [[http://www.helium.com/items/1201053-tips-for-developing-self-worth-in-children]] A child’s self worth is nurtured by trusting the child to make decisions and giving him/her a certain amount of space to work independently on certain things.

What critics of the current state of pressure-cooker schools rave on about and against is the constant demand for superlative performance in comparison to peers ( This includes pressure on both teachers,students and not necessarily just children [[http://www.mejfm.com/journal/July05/PDFs/Burnout.pdf]]
[[http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2010/01000/Burnout_and_Serious_Thoughts_of_Dropping_Out_of.30.aspx]]
). This is a losing battle for students because only a few people can get first positions and even these cannot insure a perfect record for being on top in everything.

Voting cannot be included in this category because it is in great part, a subjective exercise that nobody has to answer for. There is no right or wrong vote; you don’t get marks or medals for voting.

This will effectively lead to more votes to parents

No because…

A persons views on society and how it should be run is based on their parents. This is because during childhood, the only experience with society that the child has had has been influenced or arranged by their parents. Consequently, if we allow children to vote, all we are doing is giving parents more than their own vote. Parents will be able to influence their child’s vote, even if not directly.

Yes because…

This can also be said then of most 18-21 year olds. Often the only experience they have had with society is through their parents. 50% of youths now go to university [[ http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jan/21/record-new-students-ucas%5D%5D. This extends the time upon which a person is reliant on their parents (even more so than usual because of rocketing tuition costs). Whilst the students may sort out their own finances, the forms have to be filled in by parents and the parents are always there as a back drop. Therefore, if we argue that children should not vote due to parental influence, then we should also seek to raise the voting age to over 21.

Counterargument: This issue can also be resolved with the inclusion of anonymous voting: Casting one’s ballot in a booth closed off from impertinent eyes. While there are official means by which to avoid double-counting; the public need not know which member of the public, voted for whom or what party.

While children are impressionable; so are the rest of us and even children rebel against parents (reference: public tantrum for ice cream or candy) time and again. Children are not yes-men.

It should be lowered not scrapped all together

No because…

In my school when the elections came up they held a mock election and you voted for the party you would vote for had you been old enough we where at an age where everything was very clichy and if you didn’t vote for the right party you weren’t in the group, therefore think the age should be lowered to 15/16 that way people are past that point aswell it gives you more freedoms when your 16 as these days all you can do when your 16 is have sex legally and most people do it illegally anyway

Yes because…

education

No because…

children would be no longer able to concentrate on their studies and will be indulge in politics which would rather badly affect their behavior in colleges

Yes because…

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childen should have it
3 years ago

CHILDEN ARE SMARTER THEN GROWN UPS!!!!!!!

(not saying)
3 years ago

I am a kid and yes some kids are gullible, but some of us aren’t. We should be at least 12 years old to vote. Also everyone opinion counts. I know this sounds dumb but for real though this is just what i think.

Sofia DiGiovanni
3 years ago

I myself am lucky and proud to say that feel like a very politically active child. There are so many young people under the age of 18 who fight for the injustices that face society, yet they can’t even have a say in the democracy of their country and ultimately their future. The whole thing is utter crap!

Vanessa F
3 years ago

Why did all of you start talking about how kids shouldn’t be soldiers? Wars and election are 2 different things. I believe kids should vote but not join the army. Yes it is easy to influence them but im not talking about young kids, I don’t want to see a 6y/o going to vote. I mean kids who are 13 and up. They know what’s right and wrong and I believe that they would make what they think is the right decision.
If they understand politics and how the whole voting system works, they should have a right to vote, just because they are young does not mean that they are not apart of this world. Who everyone votes for effects kids too, not just the adults.

Last edited 3 years ago by Vanessa F
cam
3 years ago

no they shouldent they only know what is from the tv and parents i mean am i right

Donnie
3 years ago

Those believe kids should vote. Well does that mean kid should go to the military? There’s a reason why kids should be soldiers.

Deepesh karki
5 years ago

Voting is everyone’s right but the thing is that the children’s are not ready to cast their vote as political parties easily manipulate the children’s they didn’t have a senseofthinking in themselves. This may be used in a wrong way by tj political parties. Other thing is student are in need of money in their school days so it may be also be a cause.Teenagers are narrow minded gives benefit for raising more dangas and fights in the nation by involving them in wrong things simple eg, terrorist take small child’s from the peoples house and train them and creates such group. So it is better to offend till 18 or more than that in modern needs.

Kong
10 years ago

KIds should not vote, not because i am a mean man, but they are easily influenced. Now i am not saying all kids are easily gullible people, but the majority for me seems to be gullible. Kids can be told what is right and wrong, and even if the parents/friends/nearby neighbor don’t influence them directly, they can still vote for president A and not B because everyone in their family/friends family/ neighborhood voted for A.

Vanessa
6 years ago
Reply to  Kong

It is true, kids are quite easily influenced. However, listen to the responses above with other solutions, private ballots for example. I am doing a debate on this topic at school for children 10 and over. It seems to me, there are many more ways that children should than shouldn’t.

donnie
3 years ago
Reply to  Vanessa

So should they be fight in war? If you say yes then you are sick monster.

cam
3 years ago
Reply to  donnie

no kids sould not vote and i a kid

war
3 years ago
Reply to  donnie

yes

Neil
10 years ago

Children should definitely have a representative voice. Someone who is 16 years old can work, can pay taxes, and is most likely enrolled in our compulsory public education system. Saying that a 16 year old isn’t well informed enough to vote is an offensive form of age-discrimination which will not be tolerated in the future.

Suggestions that children may be coerced by parents to vote a certain way are valid, but the appropriate response is not to deny children voting rights, but to make it illegal (by constitutional amendment) to coerce a child to vote a specific way. The ballot is private, the child will be protected.

I believe this is all part of a larger issue which I call the Children’s Rights Movement, which will undoubtedly happen in the next century, ensuring children are no longer forced into religion affiliation and allowing children to have a voice in the education system in which they are forced to participate.

aiden
7 years ago
Reply to  Neil

I agree!!!!!!!!!! kids are a part of this country why hold them back?

amelia
11 years ago

i am a child but that doesn’t change anything i think if a child understands politics they can vote

Natalie
11 years ago

I’m a kid and this is what I think:
Kids should have a right to vote because it gives them a chance to give their opinion on who should be our president or what ever we vote for. I’m not just saying this because I’m a kid I’m saying this because some other kids would like to vote and give their opinion on what they believe.

orion
3 years ago
Reply to  Natalie

yes agreed I am a teenager (14) and I am educated to about the same degree my parents are in politics. I think children should be able to vote however I don’t believe all children should be able to vote for example do you think a 5 year old would make an educated decision on who to vote for, probably not, however I think the voting age should be lowered to something more reasonable 13+

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