by Bran Herbert

Created on: May 08, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

Like many debates regarding voting, the debate around the legal age of voting in the U.S.A. has several camps that can be roughly divided into three sections: those who believe the voting age should be lowered; those who believe the voting age works at 18; and those who believe the voting age should be raised. Each position has its own set of reasons, which are briefly explained here.

Lower the voting age

This argument cites as it's main reasons: 1) that youth pay taxes; 2) that youth are sometimes tried as adults; 3) that giving youth a vote would allow them to influence relatively unrepresented issues in politics, such as education; and 4) that youth are responsible and deserve the right.

This movement is spearheaded by several organizations, including the Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions (ASFAR) and the National Youth Rights Association (NYRA). These organizations actively lobby for general youth rights, and as part of that, for a lower voting age.

Voting age should stay the same

There are many people who feel that the voting age should not be changed and works at the current age of 18 (as guaranteed by the Constitution). Their reason for not lowering the voting age is because 1) youth rarely exercise their right to vote now; 2) they are too heavily influenced by parents and popular culture; 3) they are not biologically developed enough to come to an independent, rational conclusion; and 4) they do not have enough experience to truly understand the issues.

These arguments are also often used in the discussion of raising the voting age, although proponents of that go one step further by pointing out that many people who are even older than 18 fail to meet those basic criteria for voting. Some proponents of maintaining the voting age is Curtis Gans, President of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. Peter Meyer is one proponent of raising the voting age in Canada and elsewhere.

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