A human’s cognitive capacity might reach adult levels at the age of a 16 years old, but the brain is still not psychosocially mature until the age of 18, according to the National Library of Medicine. While a person might have logical thinking at the age of 16, they still are incapable of psychosocial maturity — the factor that restrains a person from following risky impulses. This skill doesn’t develop until the age of 18, creating what is called a “maturity gap” between the two. This plays a role in crucial decision making, and it must be taken into consideration when examining when citizens should get the right to vote (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
AP Government Teacher Michele Fournier said, “I don’t think most 16 year olds have the knowledge or experience [to vote] because many have not taken a government class and they haven’t been exposed to the topics yet, they may not know what the parties mean, and most kids when it comes to voting would probably be parroting their parents, friends, or somebody they saw on social media, rather than investigating the issues and candidates for themselves.” Fournier explained the reality that in society, many teenagers who don’t have the mental maturity to investigate the parties may make impulsive decisions based on influences around them. This could lead to a candidate winning that isn’t reflective of the adult majority’s views, now impacted by choices made by uninformed minors.
AP World History Teacher Jonathan Schiller said, “The voting age was lowered to 18 during the Vietnam War because people were being drafted, so it was believed that they should have have a say in their government if they were eligible to fight for their country, whilst for national elections I believe that 16 year olds should not be able to vote.” Both teachers agree that the voting age should stay 18, because many 16 year olds haven’t yet been exposed enough to the bigger picture of American politics and the revolving issues, being much less affected by it as many still have parents or guardians taking care of them.
If the government were to lower the voting age to 16, would that mean that these minors would have the same choices to make and consequences to face as adults do, such as finding housing or being eligible to go to prison? If they are getting the right to vote, they should also be treated as adults in other ways too. This would only be fair since voting is a decision requiring maturity. Most people wouldn’t want to see 16 year olds having to face these adult decisions and consequences.
Junior Eryn Wong said, “The legal age for voting should remain 18 because your mind isn’t fully developed. Along with this, your influences as a child might be different than when you become a legal adult.” Unless one goes out of their way to expose themselves to political ideas, teen years still see a following of whatever ideas one is fed as a child, oftentimes ignoring one side because you are only informed on the beliefs of those around you. Many teenagers see misinformation spreading on social media, leading them to believe false truths, serving as influences in their future choices.
Senior Alexander Radulescu said, “You tend to become more politically active at 18. You become an adult but you also have more responsibilities that come with it. Before turning 18, you don’t have those types of responsibilities to worry about. Additionally, there could be some issues with the prevalence of social media and confusing policies being promoted to younger audiences who don’t know how to vote.”
In summary, letting minors vote would not be a wise decision, the fact is that many of these teenagers are influenced easily by those around them and social media plays a big role in their decision-making. The maturity gap between these ages of 16 and 18 would lead to tens voting without the necessary research to familiarize themselves with the politicians and their policies.