Should the Voting Age Be Lowered?
Unsplash/Dan Dennis
A West Orange Classroom Weighs in, with Help from the League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is dedicated to getting young people involved in politics and to make voting a habit as soon as possible. To accomplish this, the League has designed a presentation that students themselves can give in their own classes, although it is currently being taught by a handful of League members. I was lucky enough to sit in on a presentation at West Orange High School on Thursday, May 23.
The presentation is still very new and I imagine that the League will continue refining it, but even so I would consider it a success. Speakers are aided by professional-looking visuals and a laundry list of facts and anecdotes regarding civics/voting, and they use an in-class debate to get students engaged and participating.
The clear goal of the presentation is to increase young voter turnout, but that is not the activity’s central focus. The presentation focuses on the question: “Should the voting age be lowered to 16?” This question allows the League to explain the importance of civic engagement at a young age and then transition into the in-class debate, where the students must argue for or against lowering the voting age to 16. The League provides the students packets with lots of great information in support of both sides, asking them to briefly read over the facts for whichever side they will be arguing for. This is another smart move by the League; the packets ensure the debate is academic and fact-based rather than an exchange of wacky arguments devised by high schoolers at 9 a.m.
With that said, the debate format seemed especially successful at getting students excited about participating. When students were told they had five minutes to read their side’s facts and arguments, most of them eagerly flipped to the relevant pages. And during the debate, nearly every student was participating animatedly. That was so refreshing to see. As a college student who has been actively engaged in politics since my own high school days, it was a strong reminder that young people's voices ought to be heard and respected—not ignored for being too young. These students presented strong arguments and ideas, and just like the League of Women Voters, more of us should listen to them and take their arguments seriously.
After the debate, the League held a vote on lowering the voting age to 16. This voting process was the highlight of the presentation; surprisingly, the class I observed voted not to lower the voting age. This was an ironic moment—they had just proved to themselves and each other that they can all research, discuss, and then vote on a political issue in a mature manner, but still saw themselves as too immature to vote. (Later, I learned that two classes that had previously completed the exercise also voted against lowering the voting age.) The irony kept coming, though, as the presentation ended with the League offering the students the resources, time, and support they needed to register to vote. As these were high school seniors, a few of them could actually vote, and many more could at least register. So, in a clever way, the League achieved its goal all along.
I am in favor of lowering the voting age to 16 myself. Wherever you stand, the League's presentation around the topic is informative, intriguing, and gets young people thinking about and taking steps toward voting. The League of Women Voters has developed a fantastic structure to teach the importance of civic engagement from an early age, and I hope that this presentation spreads like wildfire to thousands of classrooms across the United States.
Bryce Leatham is CivicStory’s Summer Intern