| | Voting Age Restrictions
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The other day I saw a guy wearing a shirt that said "Not My President" and had a picture of George W. Bush. He claimed the point of the shirt was that he resented the fact that George W. Bush could create policies that affected his life but he had no say in whether or not he was elected. Besides the fact that if he were *happy* with the results, he wouldn't be complaining despite the same injustice being present, I do understand the sentiment.
Here's the problem, though. How would you decide who gets to vote? Should every single living person in the US be able to vote? What about a 5 year old? He can't even understand why he should eat vegetables, much less understand complex political situations. Or what about babies, who physically can't vote, never mind the mental side? Surely there should be some restriction, and putting that restriction at 5 years old or 10 years old or 30 years old is just as arbitrary as putting it at 18 years old.
Okay, so now that we agree *some* restriction is required, maybe something other than age is needed. We all know age doesn't necessarily indicate intelligence or maturity. So maybe we should tailor the restriction to each person, right? I mean, if a 10 year old exhibits the same capacity for voting as a 30 year old, he should be allowed to vote, correct? I would think so.
So how are we going to gauge aptitude? A test is the only remotely plausible solution. But that poses a problem. Two, actually. First off, voting is viewed as a right, not a privilege (hence the 14th, 19th, and 26th amendments). So putting restrictions on whether or not you even *can* vote will be met with some opposition. Secondly is reality. In a perfect world, yes, a test could decide who was and was not fit to vote, and then only the truly informed would be deciding things (I guess everyone who failed the tests would just wear their own "Not My President Shirts"). But who gets to make the tests? Can you honestly trust them? The truth of the matter is, tests can be formatted to achieve any results the creator wants. If we had to take a test to vote, it would realistically do little more than lead our country into a new age of institutionalized racism, a neo-poll tax, if you will. Black people voting against you? Well, make that test so black people can't pass it and gain the "right" to vote.
Yeah, not exactly what we want. If the world weren't such a crappy place maybe we could figure out some way so everyone could vote and would know what they're voting about. But that's not the way things work. In a world of underhanded politics and thinly veiled racism, a seemingly arbitrary age restriction on voting is about the best we're gonna get. Maybe instead of idly complaining, you can go out and campaign for the candidate you *would* have voted for, perhaps convince some people who can vote to change their minds. Then when you're 18, educate yourself on all the issues (local and national) and go to the polls and vote. Make the best of the situation because that's how the world works. Sorry.
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Ugh
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| | Posted 9/1/2006 8:57 PM - 31 Views - 12 eProps - 10 comments
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