The minimum voting age should not be lowered, and only individuals 18 or older should be allowed to vote in local, state or federal elections.  Trusting a high school sophomore to make a decision that could impact the future of the United States is irresponsible and pointless.

If a teenager does not feel confident about voting or they do not know who to vote for, they won’t vote. According to census.gov, only 59.8 percent  of citizens aged 18-24 registered to vote in the 2020 election. This is significantly less than all the other age groups, including the age 75 and up group.

Reducing the voting age to 16 would also be difficult to make a law. New laws require years worth of drafting and voting before they even go to Congress. 

“A constitutional amendment to lower the U.S. voting age to 16 would require approval from two-thirds of both houses of Congress and three-fourths of the state legislatures,” according to Procon.org.

Some people argue that because teens start paying taxes at 16, they should be able to vote. However, most teens have never experienced the political consequences that come from voting.  

When teens get a paycheck, such a small amount gets taken away in taxes, it’s barely noticeable. Once people start paying for mortgages and student loans, they will be able to experience the political side of working. Many adults can’t live off the current federal minimum wage, but 16-year-olds can because they don’t have to distribute their money the same way an adult has to.

Not only do teens lack the maturity to vote, they lack the experience. They haven’t lived alone, bought a house and some don’t even pay for gas. All of which are daily aspects of people’s lives that are influenced by how people choose to vote.

At 16, teens are dependent on their parents. This means that they could be influenced by their parents’ political beliefs because they share the same experiences. 

“According to some researchers, in the process of political socialization of children, in the grafting of political party identity, family is the biggest factor,” Erol Turan from files.eric.ed.gov said.

Due to social media, Gen-Z has become more involved in politics. Unfortunately, what teens see on social media is often algorithmical and specifically fitted to be content they’ll like or agree with. This means nobody is seeing the opposing views.

The minimum voting age should remain at 18 because it allows people to experience how politics affects the world.  As soon as a citizen turns 18, they are now considered a legal adult. They can vote, join the military, legally sign a contract without parental consent, and be called for jury duty.  This means they now have to participate in politics.

Most 18 year olds go to college, trade school, or the military and have to experience what it’s like paying for college, living alone, being financially independent and paying taxes. All of these are things impacted through politics, which means that once they experience it, they will be able to form a more versed opinion on how they wish to vote.

In some countries where the legal voting age has been lowered to 16, such as Brazil, everyone who votes can also get married, pay taxes and live independently. This means that they experience how their own choices influence the political world.

Without real life experience, teenagers are not able to build their own opinions which is what politics is all about.