Question

is there an argument for lowering voting age to 16, or extending the vote to permanent residents or those who pay taxes?

Answer 1

At first sight, most believe that 16-year-olds are unable to make rational and educated voting decisions, that they will not vote, or that they will only vote the way their parents tell them to. Science, however, indicates that all three of these assumptions are unfounded and are not a reason to keep local governments from extending voting rights to 16-year-olds.

Extending the right to vote for 16-and 17-year-olds is consistent with the fact that turning 16 has a special significance in our society. At the age of 16, people can ride, pay taxes and work for the first time without any time restrictions. It's also a matter of fairness: when they're unable to vote before they turn 18, many people won't have the chance to vote for their mayor until they're almost 22. Long-time supporters of a lower voting age, such as the National Youth Rights Association, are also calling for equality.

The shift has been working in reality. Two cities in Maryland have successfully expanded municipal voting rights for 16-and 17-year-olds. Many countries, including Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Germany and the United Kingdom, have expanded their voting rights to 16-year-olds for national, regional and local elections. In addition, more than 15 states have already allowed 17-year-olds to vote in the primaries to select candidates for president, congress and governor.