We all know the argument for lowering the drinking age to 18, but students in Lowell, Massachusetts are now arguing that 17 year olds should be allowed to vote.
“When you’re 17, that’s when most of us are seniors,” said Carline Kirksey, one of the youth leaders of the campaign. “You have more adult responsibilities. You can join the military. You can be tried as an adult in court.” Another organizer Corinne Plaisir chimes in, saying that at 18 many young people are off at college. Figuring out the process all alone and voting unceremoniously by absentee ballot aren’t exactly enticements to civic participation. Instead, argues Plaisir, if young people can start voting in high school as part of their civics education, “It’s a prime time to engage in our civic rights.”
Personally, I agree with the teens in Lowell. At 17, you've begun to make your own decisions about politics. And when you're still in high school, voting seems like the coolest thing in the world; going into that little both, attaching the head and tail of the black arrow on the ballot. And they have good points. Plenty of minors are involved in politics today. From the youths at the Occupy protests, to Government classes in school, or being an activist for equality, teens are highly involved in the world of politics. So why not give them the a vote? It gives teens the privilege to have their voice heard and make a difference with their views, instead of their opinions falling on the deaf ears of adults who think kids don't know anything.
