Raise the voting age to 21. I served with the US Army during the late 60's. Also, 12 months in Viet Nam and couldn't vote.

Raise the drinking age back to 21.

I voted 21. But, if I had my way I would move it up to 26 or 27. By then most are fully adulting. Before that age it's still sketchy!

We have the same debate here in the UK. Calls for lowering the voting age to 16 from 18 usually come from people who have just lost a vote like Brexit (haha). I don't think it should be lowered either (I'm also an ex-teacher) but, having said that, I come across many people in their 20s, 30, 40s etc. who probably shouldn't vote either! Many people, but especially youngsters just say the "right" things - received wisdom. They are much more susceptible to suggestion.

What is never coherent to me, is that advocates for lowering the voting age, maintain that 16 year olds are well informed enough to vote but simultaneously say that they are not old enough to know that cigarettes are bad for them so they must not be allowed to purchase them until they are 18. Similarly, they can't marry without their parents' permission until 18, but can have sex and become parents at 16. They can join the Army and die for their country at 16, but are treated as juveniles (until 18) in the criminal justice system.

There needs to be more joined up thinking!

I think voting age should be increased, but did not vote that way in the poll. The reason is that I cannot come up with a solid reason. I can say I think 18 is very young...but why? I know that 16 year olds are still in high school and school kids should not be voting.

I'm definitely a fan of raising the voting age, I look back and think about myself at 18 and I probably shouldn't have been voting or encouraged to vote, I just didn't have a full grasp of a lot of the subtle elements of policies and their implications. I do think that there should be some changes to the current voting system even more than just raising the age required to vote. I do favor the idea you should be given a voting benefit if you contribute to the government, but in my mind that could be more than just money. I think my ideal voting layout would look something like a 3 piece system

1. You get a vote when you turn 21
2. You get a vote (in perpetuity) for serving in the military
3. You get a vote for paying net income taxes

so if you are 21, served in the military and pay net taxes you would get 3 votes. I realize there are some downsides as with everything, but I do think that every person should be able to have a vote in the political system. I also think that if you are funding what the government is spending money on you should have more say than the people who aren't contributing and I absolutely believe that if you sign up to lay your life on the line for the continuation of the values of the country you should have an elevated place as well.

I agree with everything you've said. I really like the idea of 21 except for those serving in the military. Military ID or 21+ (with ID - VOTER SUPPRESSION - LOL) gets you in the polling station. I don't think the age will ever be increased though, but I like that thought...

Lowering it to 16 scares the hell out of me for the very reasons you've said. A 16 year old will mostly act on emotion and/or what they are told.

Sure, they can drive (though not very well) because there are set rules that they can follow and do have some sense of self-preservation / humanity to mostly keep them from killing themselves or others. But, they don't have the critical thinking skills for the "big picture" at that age.

Hind sight being the 20/20 that it is, I fully support raising the voting age to 21, looking back on my own foolishness at 18 not to mention 16, wild idealism without a clue would be one way to put it. Served in the U.S.C.G. trained in electronics and flew S&R missions by age 20, even then would question my ability to understand enough of the world, let alone politics/government to make wise choices voting.

I believe it should be 21 unless they are in the service they are forced grow up their fast

25 should be the age to vote with 21 age of military vote. Let's face it... Most all people are uninformed or misinformed before the age of 30 anyways

21 is too low. At the age of 21 most of your ideas came from someone else, the ones you are formulating for yourself have just come to the surface and have had very little time to mature. I think of myself at 21, i had already been traversing life on my own for 5 years and still was barely capable of making responsible decisions for myself let alone the direction of our country. Im not saying that all youth falls into this category but I'm almost certain that most are at or below that level by the age of 21. By the time I was 25, however, I had a wife.... and children.... and "real" responsibility and my children's future to think about. The more responsibility someone has the more capable they become of making responsible decisions in all aspects of life (personal, interpersonal and political).

I would actually say 25 when the prefrontal cortex is fully developed. I was pretty much a pawn to my parents politically, who ever they said to vote for I did. Although I wasn’t really politically engaged until I was about 24, so there’s that.

Who in there right mind would allow a 16 year old to vote?? I fail to see the logic behind this.

21 for everyone. Just because you made the choice to the military does not mean that you are somehow magically more mature. I have many friends that upon graduation joined the military specifically because they did not think they were mature enough to be on their own in college. In hind sight I should have made the same decision. There was no way I was mature enough to vote at 18, I did, but had no real life experience to base my choices on only what others had told me. Now I know the push back is that I am saying that you are old enough to die for your country but not vote in your country. Yes that is exactly what I am saying, I do not think that there is a correlation.

Total agreement. I have voiced the exact same on FB. Raise to 21 unless in the service.

Reminds me of an argument I have heard before, where people suggest that only taxpayers should be allowed to vote, while I understand this logic, I do believe anyone that is of legal age and a consenting adult should have the right to vote. Also in favor of convicts regaining their right to vote, but that's another, more broad conversation. Now, with that being said, young adults or kids, however you want to refer to them, they are lacking in the critical thinking department. They do generally tend to make decisions based on their emotions a lot of the time, however I would say I am an exception and I know a few others around my age, that are willing to look at the long term effects and ramifications of their decisions. I am 24, so a millennial, however, I am an outsider in most cases, for I do not tend to side with most millennials on political social justice issues.

Increasingly I think voting should be earned as I don't see why anyone should have a vote in society unless they have a stake in it. There should be multiple ways to earn it but it should provide a means of understanding civic responsibility.

The only reason that someone would allow teenagers to vote for a political leader Would be for a political advantage Let kids be kids

My opinion is that for ANYONE that wants to vote they should be preliminarily tested to verify that they understand the different political parties and what each stands for. Many times I have tried to discuss politics with others and they are totally ill informed. I think the media, celebrities and politicians feed on this ignorance to get the votes. You take a look at Taylor Swift who blatantly lied about a congress woman saying she was homophobic and a racist. Taylor has how many thousands of young followers who are easily influenced!! Taylor told her followers to vote the opposition. Young and old, there are people who do not do their research!

I will take your 21 and raise you 9. Yes, make the voting age 30. Teens may be working and pay taxes but they do not get to feel the full effect of being an adult when they still live at home. I reasonably expect that most (not all) people at the age of 30 are out on their own living their own lives and a lot smarter than they were 10 years earlier.

I chose the "16 year olds are not..." But I think the voting age should be raised to 21. 21 year olds barely have enough life experience to formulate a coherent argument to vote one way or another. Much less people under age 21. Don't get me wrong. I love the youth. Many of them are brilliant and talented but they lack life experience. For better of for worse few of them have experienced true failure, heartbreak and what it means to be completely responsible and accountable for themselves much less to be those things for others. But we have to let them start somewhere and 21 is the logical place to start.

The call to lower the vote is barking madness, and those who call for it know full well it's a ploy among many to disrupt, obfuscate and above all, keep the scream level high. I served in the U.S. Navy and couldn't vote until I became 21. I didn't like it, but I understood it. Raise it back to 21 for those who serve in the military.

I had the same thought that the draft was reason the voting age was lowered to 18. I remembered Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction,”

“The Eastern world, it is explodin’
Violence flarin’ and bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill,
But not for votin’
You don’t believe in war,
But what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has
Bodies floatin’

I wish voting was tied taxes. In Federal elections, if you income taxes you have the right vote. I hate how almost 50% of people who no income taxes (they get it all back) make a decision on the direction of the country. That's why things will never change! The politicians just pander the low info voters and can ignore the taxpayer.

I don't teach but have been around enough kids to wholeheartedly agree with you.

16 is way too