As someone who likes to keep up with the political comings and goings of the world, I'm all for the idea of getting more teenagers into politics. But lowering the voting age to 14, 15 or 16 is not the best way to accomplish this.
Let's face it. Most teenagers would rather vote for the next American Idol than participate in a local referendum about funding a new overpass on Highway 101. It's not our fault. As teenagers, we are interested in many different things. It's just that pop culture appeals to us much more than politics ever will. It's the way our minds work.
Many youth groups have used the well-known phrase of our Founding Fathers, "No taxation without representation" as the crux of their argument - that youth have adult responsibilities, but not adult rights. But the opposite is true. Teenagers actually have most of these adult rights and no responsibilities, since the law dictates that parents are responsible for their children and their actions until they turn 18.
For now, 18 is considered the age when teenagers make the transition into adulthood. It is the time when they venture out into college, join the military, start paying taxes and vote. It is a time when they start assuming the responsibilities of a certain age. If teens want to have the right to vote at 14, 15 or 16, they should take the responsibilities along with it - including paying taxes, supporting themselves and the possibility of being drafted into the military. When teens take on new responsibilities, they actually start to understand how the world really works. Think about it: what does your average 14-year-old know (or care) about Medicare, Social Security or income taxes?
It's a known fact that the 18- to 24-year-old group has the worst voting record in the U.S. It is already hard enough to lure them to the polls, so what makes us think that 14- to 16-year-olds would do any better? There are some 16-year-olds who would be capable of voting more intelligently than some adults, but they would be a small minority in comparison to the huge group of teens who just don't care.
Many youth-rights groups have also argued that if 15-year-olds can be tried as adults, they should also able to vote. But being tried as an adult does not indicate that the culprit has reached maturity, but implies that the crime committed was serious enough not to be waved away as something minor. A 15-year-old who shoots someone is not a mature adult capable of making decisions concerning society, thus, the crime is obviously something that cannot be fixed by spending a few years in juvenile hall. The culprit did not have the maturity or the common sense to understand the seriousness of his or her actions, but he or she should still be conditioned out of this behavior in an adult manner.
Most teenagers have a hard enough time choosing what to wear every morning, let alone choosing their future leaders. I'm not saying that most teens are stupid or lazy because they have strong and justified opinions about issues they care about. It's just that teenagers are not as firmly entrenched in their values because they are always influenced by their surroundings. Teenagers can be very fickle sometimes, switching from one thing to another and always constantly following the trends. I, for one, do not want our laws and policies to be affected by erratic emotions and neither would the framers of our Constitution.
Restless teens out there who can't wait to vote or get involved in politics shouldn't give up. People are always talking about how apathetic teens are. Show them that this stereotype is not true. Throw yourself into your community, join the local youth commission or start a community service project. And once you turn 18, don't worry. Your crossover into adulthood will not be completely fruitless. I mean, at least you'll finally get to vote.