The United Kingdom is reducing its legal voting age to 16. Scotland and Wales have already lowered their voting age. And now our increasingly radicalized northern neighbor, Canada, is considering doing the same. There are those making the case for it in America's largest newspaper chain.
There was a significant push for this from U.S. Democrats in the 1990s, when the "demography is destiny" crowd was overjoyed at the prospect of a one-party Democratic country. Like clockwork, they were wrong. As someone who has raised eight children, I am an expert on the minds of teenagers. They're not what one might call…peak responsible. It's just the natural progression of a human that should not be ignored.
The front-facing cases for lowering the voting age are underwhelming. "I truly believe that this is the right step for democracy, and I believe that it is simply more democratic to allow young people to vote," said Amelia Penney-Crocker, a Canadian youth advocate. "Every expansion of the franchise has been a positive thing in the history of our Canadian democracy."
Of course, by this logic, why stop at 16? Why not 14? 12? More democracy! This is shades of the nonsensical minimum wage argument. Their cases invariably lack any limiting principle.
The executive director of a non-profit pushing the lowering of the age in the U.S. writes, "Historically, our democracy has welcomed more eligible voters. From the expansion of suffrage to women and Black Americans to the Voting Rights Act and beyond, we have moved toward greater inclusion. Lowering the voting age continues that arc toward justice."
Justice. That last word tells every thinking, informed reader exactly where this is coming from. And putting it on the level of giving black Americans and women the right to vote is just disgusting. Sixteen-year-olds have not been oppressed.
Canadian Sen. Marilou McPhedran said the issue is her "top parliamentary priority." She said lowering the voting age to 16 would be suitable for democracy and that the only arguments against it are "based on stereotypes."
Well, let's see if that stands up to reasoned, contextual, scientific thinking, which has vaporized from the left. Here are 10 arguments for why this idea is another gush from the bottomless font of terrible leftist ideas.
- Brain development. The brain is underdeveloped at 16, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for higher-level cognitive functions, such as decision-making and impulse control. Their brains are not yet fully developed like those of adults, making it difficult for them to make good decisions, such as choosing a President.
- The draft. Boys aged 16 and 17 cannot be drafted, nor should they be, and they are not eligible to serve in the military. But should they be able to vote?
- Incomplete schooling. Not that they will be at 18, given the condition of our public schools (see point 4), but they have not even finished basic civics yet — if they happen to live in a state that even requires it.
- Civics illiteracy. The majority of first-year college students cannot pass the immigration test to become a citizen, and one-third cannot name the three branches of government. (The embarrassments of our education system are boundless.)
- Different legal standards. Sixteen-year-olds are treated as juveniles in the legal system, and for good reason, see point 1. If they cannot be legally treated as adults, it is understood that they are not yet mature enough to comprehend the consequences fully. They cannot sign contracts or get married without parental approval; they surely should not be allowed to vote. Are we to change all those laws as well?
- Consequences. They lack a developed ability to understand consequences. However, this is not solely due to unfinished business in brain development. It is also because they lack life experience, context, and exposure over time. Previous generations understood this observable reality.
- Politicizing schools. Most high school students are disinterested in politics and policy, caring more about what their friends think, what is popular, and what career to choose. But they are very vulnerable to being influenced by others. (See social media writ large.) This is a straightforward recipe for the disastrous politicization of the schools.
- Political opportunism. It's adults on the left fighting for this change. Teens are not marching in the streets for their right to vote. Their interests are in point 7. This boils down to another overt vote-grabbing scheme by the left.
- Cheapens voting. Mass mail-in ballots, same-day registration, and no-ID laws have already cheapened the beautiful right to vote and choose our representation. Lowering the age to 16 further dilutes the treasure that is the right to vote.
- Zohran Mamdani. The Communist's recent win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor was driven by young people, a signal to everyone that the younger brain leads the way in not grasping historical context and the consequences of his policy slate.
Ironically, given the increasingly right-leaning proclivities of Gen Z, this may be yet another bad idea that backfires on Democrats. If this idea fails to gain traction among Democratic Party leaders, it will be a tacit acknowledgement that they are no longer confident in owning the youth vote.
Rod Thomson is a former daily newspaper reporter and columnist, Salem radio host and ABC TV commentator, and current Founder of The Thomson Group, a Florida-based political consulting firm. He has eight children and seven grandchildren and a rapacious hunger to fight for America for them. Follow him on X at @Rod_Thomson. Email him at [email protected].
