Is 16 Too Young To Vote?
I remember at 16 years of age, all I cared about was getting my drivers license. Now one large city in the U.S. is considering letting 16 year olds vote in local elections.
San Francisco residents, who always like to think they are very progressive, will be casting ballots in the November election to see if teens should have the vote.
This is not the first time something like this has been voted on in San Francisco. A similar measure made it to the ballot back in 2016 and ended up losing by a very small margin. If it passes this time, it will make the city by the bay the first major city in the United States to give teens the right to vote in local elections.
Brandon Klugman, who is the Vote 16 campaign manager, told NBC that "the research is clear, voting is a habit. And 16 is a better time than 18 to establish that habit." "The motivation here first and foremost is to make sure that we put new voters in a position to establish that habit in the first election they are eligible for and then to continue voting through out their lives, which is good for democracy on every level."
With America facing many issues, like Black Lives Matter and immigration issues as an example, many feel that teens voting while in school and learning about our government makes this the perfect time to get them to the polls and involved in the voting and politics.
There are skeptics that argue 16 year olds are not mature enough to vote and they can be swayed very easily but there are others who say at least the conversation is being started and change may be on the way.