Part Two: The Case

Proponents argue that lowering the voting age will encourage young people to get involved in their communities, research relevant issues, and form a habit of voting early (if you vote in one election, you’re more likely to also vote in the next). They cite research indicating that, by the time an individual hits 16, they have enough civic education to cast an informed vote; allowing young people to vote will even strengthen civic education by enabling teens to apply their knowledge and learn with the intent of making an impact. And because many 16- and 17-year-olds drive, work, pay taxes, and are affected by decisions of the government, advocates say it’s only fair that they should have a stake in the game.

“When we look down the road, we don’t see a hopeful future. We don’t see a future where we’ll have access to clean water and clean air, and equitable schools,” said young activist Tyler Okeke. “Voting is just the logical next step in making sure that a generation—that is so passionate about change and is so deeply affected by the decisions that are being made now—that we are inserted into policy-making and have a say in our democracy.”

The movement is backed by plenty of lawmakers at the federal level, though nothing close to a majority. In 2019, 126 members of the House of Representatives cast ballots in support of a proposal introduced by Representative Ayanna Pressley to lower the voting age to 16. Prominent figures such as 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have also voiced their support for the effort.

But opponents of lowering the voting age are far more plentiful. A 2019 poll found that American adults overwhelmingly oppose lowering the voting age, with 84% rejecting granting 16-year-olds suffrage. Though older individuals and Republicans were more likely to be opposed, a large majority of 18- to 34-year-olds and Democrats responded the same way.

Jennifer Braceras, senior fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum and former Commissioner of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, outlines concerns shared by many who don’t want to lower the voting age: that teens younger than 18 are too immature to responsibly cast their ballots and that they won’t be as impacted by their votes as adults. She writes, “At 16, most kids have little awareness of politics, civics, or American history, and they have little life experience to inform their decisions. Although a small percentage may work or even contribute to household expenses, few hold full-time jobs or fully care for themselves. Most don’t even pay for their own cellphones—let alone groceries, rent, utility bills, or property taxes. Simply put, they don’t have enough skin in the game.”

Braceras continues, also outlining a big concern among Republicans: “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Democrats like Pressley want to lower the voting age in order to increase the pool of potential Democratic voters.” Young people do tend to lean more liberal—as Republicans worry about racial demographic shifts in the coming decades that threaten their power in the country, expanding the national constituency to include younger, more progressive voters would likely hinder them.

And citizens on the younger end of the spectrum typically have lower turnout than their older peers—if you give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote, will they even use it?