voting

The opinion pages of major newspapers are a graveyard of seemingly innovative but sometimes half-baked policy proposals, very few of which actually gain traction and become reality. So I didn't think much when I read Anya Kamenetz's piece arguing persuasively that the voting age in the United States should be lowered from 18 to 16:

The more we treat teenagers as adults, the more they rise to our
expectations. From a developmental and vocational point of view, the
late teens are the right starting point for young people to think
seriously about their futures. Government can help this process by
bestowing rights along with responsibilities.

Then this morning there were 7 letters to the editor printed in response to the article, most of which seemed to be in favor of Kamenetz's proposal. (There were also 270 comments posted to the New York Times website responding to the article.)

Apparently the article struck a chord with the readership. So who knows? Maybe we will see the voting age lowered soon enough. But it's probably unlikely without one thing: the input of youth themselves.

What do you think? Is it unfair to have an age requirement of 18 years old in order to vote? Why stop at age 16, why not younger? Would this result in greater turnout among young people? Are there other factors in our political system that need to be addressed first, before we look at changing voting age requirements?  read more »

Is the Millenial Generation the next "great" civic generation? Rising participation of this age group in both the political process and philanthropy is leading many to say yes, according to Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais.

American history suggests that about every 80 years, a civic (or Joshua) generation, emerges to make over the country after a period of upheaval caused by the fervor of an idealist (or Moses) generation. In 1828, 1860, 1896, 1932 and 1968, as members of new generations -- alternately idealist and civic -- began to vote in large numbers, the United States experienced major political shifts. This year, the civic-minded millennials, born between 1982 and 2003, are coming of age and promising to turn the political landscape, currently defined by idealist baby boomers such as Clinton and George W. Bush, upside down.

Click here to read the full article, from Sunday's Washington Post.  read more »

Today's Boston Globe reports that the number of voters under 30 participating in the Iowa caucuses tripled since the 2004 election.  The article further suggests that young voter participation was important for both victors in Thursday's contest.  read more »