What do you think about raising the voting age to 25, for national elections?

25 might be a little too much. Perhaps 21 is appropriate. After all, if someone isn't old enough to handle a beer, why should they be trusted with influencing leadership of the country! I think the age needs to be the same for voting and for military service. There is no way we should have people fighting for us that are not allowed to vote. Would it be appropriate to raise the voting age to say 21 for civilians, but allow 18-21 year olds to vote if they are enlisted? That could get very sticky.

With that said, I do agree that many if not most 18-21 year olds do lack the intellect/thought process/experience/maturity to make an informed decision. Then again, I know many people in their 30s who still lack that maturity and intellect. I wish it were possible to institute some kind of intelligence or civics test - at least require a high school diploma!

Good question!

Insurance companies have long known the decision making portion of the human brain is not fully formed until about age 25. Recent MRIs have confirmed this to be true. Because of the much faster reactions & physical abilities of a 20 year old, one would expect them to be much better drivers & far less likely to be involved in an accident than a 40 yr old... however statistics prove the opposite is true.

Then we get to the 18 year old that enlists in the military... while he is likely to be physically superior to the 30 year old commander, he does not have the decision making abilities of the older person & is taught to follow orders .

I do think some 18 yr olds do make better decisions than some 40 yr olds... but the decisions will improve when they reach 25. That is why we have age requirments for legislative members & the presidency.

Yeah, we need some method of testing competency, but I remember when those tests were used to deny voting rights to African Americans.

Drinking rights have been raised to age 21 in many states & teens are still the most likely to get a DUI or get in trouble for the use of drugs.

As the song went---"You're old enough to kill, but not enough for voting."

When I was 22, I humored myself with the idea that those over 65 should lose the vote!

I was ready to vote at 14.

You sound like one of those "teenagers-are-hell-raisers-

-who-need-their-butt-kicked-

-I-know-cause-I-was-one" kinda guys;

me, I was hardly such.

"I do not believe that the average young person in America has enough maturity, experience, wisdom, or courage to have a clear understanding of political matters."

Hey, not all youth voted for Dubya!

"Although refreshing from time to time, being naive and idealistic can be far more dangerous than useful, far too often on the world stage."

Ah, the "better a scoundrel-than-a fool" argument: but yes, the saying has merit when such involves coercion.

But why coercion when we could have Liberty?

I see what you are leaning towards: People who don't know what they're talking about shouldn't be making decisions.

However, as a 20 year old university student, I am a little bit offended by this. At our university, as in other universities, students have excellent access to professors that engage us in stimulative political discussions, we have access to libraries and are very eager to learn, we constantly attend seminars and discussions on current topics. If anything, I think those of our age have tremendous access to material that help us make an informed decision, much more so than the average person that has a working job and has little opportunity to engage in such active discussion.

I think you underestimate a lot of young people by proposing this. While there are many young people who are not even at a university, there are many of us who are actively engaged in the political process, have the resources to make qualified decisions, and absolutely deserve a chance to participate.

Problems: You have adult responsibilities at 18. So, some old dude could be like, let's have a war and a draft, and 18-24 year olds who would be drafted would be like...oh I can't vote. This is nice. Or college issues?

If you put this on a state level...then kids in the south could vote but in a northern state they couldn't? However, I think all states would keep 18 their voting age anyway for many reasons.

Bottom line: If young voters need to be more educated, educate them. It makes no sense to raise the voting age with all the responsibilities you have at 18. Not to mention, many young people don't vote or vote like their parents. So...yeah, uneducated voters suck, but you'll always have them, but let's not be rash here. I think it would be an aweful idea to put bluntly.

I believe this is not a good idea. A young man or woman can serve our country at the age of 18. They should be able to vote as well.

Your belief that the "average young person in America" lacks what it takes to be a viable voter would sift out thousands or even millions of "Above average" Americans. And how do you claim to know that all young people are "naive and idealistic"?

If you want to raise the voting age, you should raise the drinking age and the age to serve in the military accordingly. Still sound like such a good idea?

I didn't think so.

I disagree....I think the average young American has more on the ball than most people give them credit for. This country was founded by young people, and there are young people today just as capable of taking the reins of government. At least their ideas aren't arthritic, their dreams for the future aren't blurred by cataracts, their ambition isn't threatened by high cholesterol, and their determination is scared off by the threat of a heart attack. Kids are far smarter these days, learn more in elementary school than we did in college....and they know how to put it to use, even at the national level.

I don't know about age, but there certainly should be some kind of test.

Something like: "Is the US a Democracy? Yes or No?"

People who answer YES, automatically get sent home.

Better yet, everyone should be able to pass a US Citizenship Test. Most people would fail.

If young people are willing to vote they should be allowed to do so, we have enough people that are older and are too apathetic to go to the polls. Youth doesn't necessarily mean they are immature to do the candidate research and pick the best person for the job.