a)Why does a child can not vote?
Answers
It’s my opinion that voting rights should not be based on age, but should be based on a requirement that the potential voter know the issues, has formulated a plan for those issues to be resolved, has an understanding of the responsibilities attached to voting, and has the ability to make that informed decision.
It never ceases to amaze me that legislators have determined:
It is perfectly ok to allow someone 15 or 16 to get behind the wheel of a vehicle and drive with or without previous instruction and with or without a determination of their level of maturity.
It is perfectly ok to allow a person 17 to 21 (in the USA) or 17 to 19 (in Canada) to join the military, go through basic training, go to a foreign country and be shot at and/or killed…. BUT that same person ‘lacks the maturity’ to have a beer at the Mess because he’s underage.
That’s insane. It’s st*pid. It’s irrational.
There are MANY MANY people who are over 21 who vote who haven’t got the foggiest idea what the issues are or which party matches their beliefs… they vote because a) everyone around them is praising a particular party or candidate or b) because they’ve always voted for that party or candidate or c) they don’t like ‘the looks’ of the other candidates.
I know MANY young people who have a better grasp of the problems facing them in the future and who have an interest in what’s going on in the world and in their country, or state/province or city and who are left out of the voting process.
Wasn’t one of the battle cries of the war of independence “No taxation without representation?” - think about it - regardless of age, people pay taxes - young people have jobs from about 14 and up… they spend their money on clothes, education, cell phones, food, and so on… all of which are taxed by one government level or another. Yet they have absolutely no say in how those tax dollars are being spent, because they are ‘too immature to understand the issues’.
Go to any high school or junior college and talk to students… you’d be surprised how many of them have not only a grasp on the issues but are able to discuss them rationally and intelligently.
I say that we should all be tested for our knowledge of the issues and our ability to discuss those issues before given the opportunity to vote.
I know more young people who act more responsibly and maturely than many so-called ‘adults’.
Ok, let the flaming begin.
mark ....❤️
The general answer is “Because children don’t understand the issues and are easily swayed by non-factual arguments based on emotion or pandering to self-interest (or both).”.
I will not, at this point, make any comment on whether there are many ADULTS who “don’t understand the issues and are easily swayed by non-factual arguments based on emotion or pandering to self-interest (or both)” and will let you draw your own conclusions on that point.
However, I WILL ask you this question “Should ADULTS who don’t understand the issues and are swayed by non-factual arguments based on emotion or pandering to self-interest (or both) be allowed to vote?”.
The further question “IF people who DO NOT understand the issues and ARE swayed by non-factual arguments based on emotion or pandering to self-interest (or both) are allowed to vote THEN should their votes be given equal weight to the votes of people who DO understand the issues and ARE NOT swayed by non-factual arguments based on emotion or pandering to self-interest (or both)?” I will leave for an even later discussion