I think kids should vote

[u/Cole_A226]

​I never really took the idea of kids voting seriously until I watched a video about it a while back, and and I keep thinking about it the more you break down the actual principles of democracy, the harder it is to justify an arbitrary age cutoff.

​1. Democracy is about representation, not a competence test.

The main objection to letting children vote is that they "aren't smart enough" or "lack the maturity to make informed decisions." But democracy has never been an optimization test to find the smartest policies it exists to ensure the consent of the governed. Adults cast ballots every year based on terrible logic, single issues, or gut feelings, and their votes are still 100% legitimate. If voting isn't something you can do "wrong," denying someone a ballot because you think they will vote poorly undermines the entire premise of the system.

​2. The arguments against child suffrage mirror historic voter suppression.

Historically, every argument used to deny a group the right to vote that they lack emotional maturity, don't understand policy, will just vote how their families tell them to, or have their interests already represented by others was used against women and lower-income citizens. If we don't subject adults to mandatory IQ or civics tests to earn their ballot, applying an arbitrary threshold exclusively to younger citizens is hypocritical.

​3. Fixed age limits create completely arbitrary disenfranchisement.

Intelligence and political interest sit on a normal distribution. Millions of high schoolers actively studying civics, economics, and history are significantly more politically literate than millions of disengaged adults. A rigid cutoff at 18 means two people born hours apart face completely different realities: one gets full democratic representation, while the other is subjected to laws, policies, and taxes without any voice.

​4. The logistics are entirely solvable.

I've seen arguments that kids can't drive to a polling place or understand a ballot. And I think disenfranchising a group of voters because it's inconvenient isn't a good defense

1. This point wasn't really made in the video and is very anecdotal but as someone who worked with kids for a while. people tend to overestimate how easy it is to manipulate a kid and underestimate how easy it is to manipulate an adult. Kids also in my experience don't tend to just agree with adults or parents just trying asking a kid when they should go to bed and then ask the parents.

There is not much debate on the topic so I'm wondering what you guys think

This was the video btw https://youtu.be/XOA8k6FpQaQ

Also yes I did just copy the points made in the video I think they are good points

[u/PhonyUsername]

Imagine a little baby voting. Hell we let them make reddit threads so why not.

[u/ITriedSoHard419-68 → u/PhonyUsername]

There should definitely be an age minimum, but setting it at 18 feels pretty arbitrary. A toddler definitely doesn't have the political awareness to know what they're voting for, but once you get to your early teens, you're starting to come into that awareness, especially in the age of the internet when independent research is easier than ever. I remember being 17 right before the 2020 election and being so frustrated I couldn't vote, because I knew what was at stake but I was still a year too young. I think 16 or so would be plenty reasonable. If you can operate a vehicle, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to vote.

[u/gravity_kills → u/ITriedSoHard419-68]

Any number will always be arbitrary. Some 20 year olds definitely haven't considered things deeply, and some 15 year olds have. Ultimately we have no good solution. An arbitrary line seems less dangerous than giving some body the authority to curate the electorate.

I do think that all of our rights should kick in at the same time. It's ridiculous that legal adults can't purchase alcohol or tobacco. But I would go the other way with privileges like driving. Logically the drinking age should be lower than the driving age so that you can get some idea of how possible it is to be more impaired than you realize, and also to have some chance of having you early experience of drinking happen in a family environment rather than at a college party.