San Francisco may soon allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections

[LeoFameMonster 1,592]

Why not it's definitely not working when adults vote 

[MACATL 2,127]

Dumb.  They’re still kids.  They should not be deciding political elections.   

[MJHolland 12,725]

1 hour ago, iAstroLeo said:

Not necessarily.. they might be forced by their parents or some other relative 

Ok.... do I really have to remind folks that no one knows who you vote for once you're in the booth?

My parents brought me into the polling place every election day with them since I could remember. Every year.

I think it's a great idea to encourage kids to vote regularly. I would absolutely "force" my kid to go vote if they're living under my roof. Obviously I'm not going to force them to vote one way or another (because that is ILLEGAL), but bish I care about our democracy everyone HAS to vote. 

[Chic 20,830]

30 minutes ago, LeoFameMonster said:

Why not it's definitely not working when adults vote 

Obama was perfectly fine tho

[LeoFameMonster 1,592]

1 hour ago, Chic said:

Obama was perfectly fine tho

Was he after second term?

[MJHolland 12,725]

2 hours ago, Musicisfreedom said:

This isn't a good idea. My younger sister is definitely intelligent enough (she often educates the rest of us on certain political topics), but she is in the minority. Teenagers still have a very reckless and selfish mind. And they often don't really believe in anything strongly yet, but follow by influence of those around them. From a former teenager, DON'T ALLOW IT.

If we're going to apply this logic, why do we let older people vote?

Just like teenagers, some portion does vote selfishly and/or without being informed. 

Spoiler

I'm personally not for this, but the same standard could apply.

 

[MJHolland 12,725]

1 hour ago, MACATL said:

Dumb.  They’re still kids.  They should not be deciding political elections.   

A 16 year old has more stake in the future of this country than a 60 year old does.

If a younger person cares enough to take time out of the middle of a tuesday to vote, they are going to be informed. Millennials that vote are more likely to be more informed on issues than other groups, for example. 

Civic engagement has to start early if we want to fix the problem of young people not voting in this country. 

Compared to other developed democracies, the US ranks amongst the worst in voter participation. That is a HUGE problem. 

[MJHolland 12,725]

Lastly, when it comes to brain development, 16 vs 18 is largely semantic  

[Queen Bitch 10,513]

Just when I thought democracy couldn't get worse, I see sh!t like this

Hopefully this will never happen where I'm from

[MJHolland 12,725]

2 minutes ago, Queen Bitch said:

Just when I thought democracy couldn't get worse, I see sh!t like this

Hopefully this will never happen where I'm from

How is getting more people to vote (for the rest of their lives, too, as starting early increases voter efficacy), hurt democracy? 

[Queen Bitch 10,513]

1 minute ago, MJHolland said:

How is getting more people to vote (for the rest of their lives, too, as starting early increases voter efficacy), hurt democracy? 

It's bad because they're kids. I don't want kids (of all people) to be able to decide who should rule over me. 

I don't care if it hurts democracy. I'm against democracy

[NFRatwell 23,290]

19 minutes ago, MJHolland said:

How is getting more people to vote (for the rest of their lives, too, as starting early increases voter efficacy), hurt democracy? 

Don’t believe this is what allowing 16 year old to vote is all about. Liberals are just trying to get more votes and pushing this agenda about “they’re our future” bs. California’s age of consent is 18 yet all of the sudden a 16 year old can make political decisions?  Tell me, do y’all think 16 year olds are adults able to make decisions like that? 

[Lemonky 671]

One party tried to do the same here in Croatia but I find it ridiculous. I am 16 and my peers barely know who is the prime minister lmao, and only know 2 persons of my age including me who actively follow politics --.--

[blankpaper 21]

At this point I’d trust a 16 year old more than a 70 year old

[PartySick 172,507]

I'm not sure why everyone's saying this is a bad idea  if they're too dumb to vote at 16 then they're too dumb to vote at 18