Should Young People Be Encouraged to Vote??

I am a 17 to be 18 yr old in Sept. I am going to make an vote for Kerry bc i agree with his stance on healthcare and other issues, but mainly healthscare. MOst of my friends, whom dont reseearch their candidates, are going to vote Kerry because sites like www.punkvoter.com apparently sell them the idea of "Anyone But Bush" and are getting as many people registered as they can.. I would have to disagree(though i am a HUGE NOFX fan) with they way they are going about it. I believe the youth should be informed of whats going on, not just being told to register to vote. what bothers me is that the youth are making uninformed votes, and most of the youth are usually too busy with their own social lives to ewatch the news.







[edit on 8/21/2004 by s13guy]

Hell yes young people should be encouraged to vote, last I heard some obscenely low percentage of the country was registered to vote, and like half of those voted, or something equally depressing. As for getting informed I think the TV is probably the worst source for young voters. The internet really is a shining source of information at times, as every candidate out there seems to have a rather well-done website giving good information about their platform and such. Better to interpret for yourself than take the pre-chewed handouts from the TV stations.

How can i delete my post???? i double posted haha

[edit on 8/21/2004 by s13guy]

see heres the thing.. (not saying young people should be discouraged, just not encouraged)

Originally said by Bill Maher
I only said young people shouldn't be ENCOURAGED to vote, especially without any accompanying message about learning enough before hand to make that an informed vote. The idea of just getting bodies in the voting booth is not exactly what the founding fathers had in mind. If young people really watched the news, the ads every night at 6-30 wouldn't just be for people who can't chew, can't digest, can't stop going to the bathroom, can't achieve an erection and are clinically depressed.

thats basically my point in a nutshell

[edit on 8/21/2004 by s13guy]

Originally posted by s13guy
thats basically my point in a nutshell

I agree!

It is the rich old white class that get their news from network TV.

I think the resulting confusion and polarisation we are currently seeing is due in large part to the differences in sourcing of information. As pointed out, young people get their information from the net which is still somewhat of a free for all, depending how hard you want to look.

The concern I have is, do a majority of 18 year olds have the mental toolbox to sort through information and critically analyse things. I recall not being too informed when I first voted, nor did I really understand any of the issues. It takes a certain level of maturity unrelated to chronological age and I am not sure that MTV, Rock the Vote, etc. are much more than promotional vehicles for the young "stars" supporting the music business with a little political pablum thrown in.

Short of any restrictions on voting beyond one's age, I would advocate raising the voting age to 21.

Comming fresh out of high school with a state-funded education does not prepare us to make decisions of national interest. You need a few years to get your bearings.

No.

If alla you young yahoots gets out there and votes, ya cancels out the votes of those of us who are of your parents' and grandparents' generations! And then the world won't be run according to OUR wishes!

NO!!! STAY AT HOME!!! DON'T VOTE!!! The NWO will put your name on a secret list and target you to listen to 60 hours per week of Lawrence Welk if you run out and vote! You'll get LEAVE IT TO BEAVER reruns! Trust me! Stay at home and stay out of politics!

This goes DOUBLE for any girls out there, too! We don't want girls getting uppity and voting!




(This has been a paid political satire. Your mileage may vary.)

im just saying the youth should not be encouraged to vote, not discouraged ,jeez.

Short of any restrictions on voting beyond one's age, I would advocate raising the voting age to 21.

While that may prevent _some_ of the stupid votes from getting counted, I think that would also require the conscription age to be pushed back to 21 as well. I don't think too many 18 year olds would be pleased to be drafted but not have a say in their fate politically.

The thing with educating voters is that if we say "lets not have the young people vote, they are too stupid" they will never care about voting. It takes a kick in the butt sometimes to get young persons motivated. And honestly I think people at times underestimate the intelligence of young people, since it seems only the jackasses make it into the news via some stupid stunt that kills someone or is just plain retarded.

yes i dont agree with pushing back teh voting age to 21, but rather disagree with teh constant encouragement to vote from bands like NOFX and Punk Voter whom are teenage icons and can have an impact on eitehr candidates campaign.

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Yes young people should be encouraged to vote. It is a privilege and a duty. It should become a habit.

When you know you are going to vote it encourages people to find out more about the elections, to become as responsible a voter as any of us can hope to be.

Even people who don't track down every nuance of candidates and issues may have a more removed perspective and see or grasp something subtle that many of us who have our noses right in the stuff may not see.
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Without a doubt.

Especially in these times.

As citizens, these young adults need to educate themselves politically and
support this government. They need to understand their voice can make a difference.

Originally posted by alternateheaven
While that may prevent _some_ of the stupid votes from getting counted, I think that would also require the conscription age to be pushed back to 21 as well.

I had not thought of that.

While I agree that some teenagers are well informed I�m afraid that they may not be a majority. However, I do agree that the attainment of the voting right at a young age is conducive to the political awakening. It's just that it's largely not preceded with very good civics education.

Understanding takes time.

Perhaps like the original poster suggested teenagers should not be encouraged to simply vote. Maybe we should just provide them with the tools and resources necessary and let them vote when THEY feel ready and informed at whatever age.

Why not make it 16?