With the national elections being right around the corner, there is a large push to lower the voting age, specifically in Oregon. More and more Oregonian teens have defended that the voting age should be lowered to 16, pushing legislators to propose an amendment to the Oregon Constitution. There is reasoning behind both sides of the argument, but are they strong enough to create a need for change? There are certainly apparent advantages to lowering the voting age. One such argument states that lowering the voting age will increase voter turnout, and train a new generation of smart, informed, and prepared voters. And data supports this argument: when Takoma Park, Maryland lowered its voting age in 2013, registered voter turnout of those under 18 was four times the turnout presented by age groups over 18. A crucial question to consider is if this data could be translated to the Oregon voting climate. According to state senator Shemia Fagan, “It’s time to lower the voting age in Oregon and give young people a chance to participate at the ballot about decisions that affect their homes, their clean air and clean water future, their schools, and as we’ve seen, their very lives.” There are contentions as to why the voting age should not be lowered, as well. Scientifically, it is proven that 16-year-olds do not have a fully developed prefrontal cortex, leading to immature and irrational decision making. Another argument is that voting topics have virtually no impact on most 16- and 17-year-olds, as they are still considered adolescents in the eyes of national law. This lack of impact may create less of an incentive for young voters to make informed and selective decisions, posing a lack of comprehension of voting topics and their effects. Oregon Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger, Jr., of Grants Pass expresses his concern in a statement, “People are not legally considered adults in this country until they are 18 years old, and I believe they shouldn’t be able to vote until then, either.” While there is reasoning behind both sides of the argument at hand, Oregonian youth have been voicing their opinions in favor of lowering the voting age to 16, and so far, the government has been receptive. This consideration has gained support from the state government in the form of Governor Kate Brown and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, and has approval on a federal level, with the additional endorsement of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. In March of 2019, teens all across the state spent their spring break petitioning for a lowering of the voting age in Oregon, and efforts continue with the upcoming 2020 presidential elections. While the future voting age may be lowered, as of now, only those 18 and older are permitted to vote. This is why it is imperative that if you can vote, VOTE! Represent the future generation with your vote, and perhaps someday, 16 and 17 year-olds will also be able to vote. Major source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/19/politics/oregon-voting-age-16-trnd/index.html - Maya Schwartz If you want to write for the Crescent Crier, we would love to see you at one of our virtual meetings, which are every Wednesday at 1:30pm! To come to a meeting, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/TrQ5PqFcDqeE2yiB9, and we’ll send you a link ASAP. If you would like to submit a single article - or anything else like creative writing, an opinion, an art piece, photo or photo series, or something else entirely - then you can do that using this form: https://forms.gle/WAHSoWJuVwK3q5du6. If you want to contact us for any reason, you can email
[email protected]. Thanks for reading!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |