Voting at 14?

http://www.vacavillenews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=182670&cp=116

Quite frankly, I'm stunned. I can't believe it. I don't want to believe it. If this eventually becomes a law, although I'm not holding my breath, I'm leaving California for good.

It begs a few questions, though. When you were 14 years old, did you care about anything concerning politics? Take a good long look into your own history and be honest about it. Would the average 14-year old be able to make informed decisions? No, wait, I can answer that, because most 18-year olds can't make informed political decisions.

Discuss.

umm well i know for one i would have appreciated a vote when i was 14, however i see your point in that most of the people that were 14 when i was would not have made anything of having a vote, they would have just pissed about with it, hell most of the people i know now would do the same thing!

I'm turning 14 very soon and I think that voting at that age would be pretty cool but no one would do it. I mean, I know like maybe 3 people not including myself who might bother voting.

exactly, i mean it would be prity good for interlectual people whoa ctually know whats going on but then u'd have all the others who....arn't.

Well, I was informed at 14, but then again, I got interested in politics at that age, and it's not exactly something normal, most 14 year olds I knew did not know a thing about them.

So no, it's stupid.

I've never voted ever since my 18th birthday voting time. I"ll vote when and if I see a candidate I actually trust.

Meaning this won't do much. Are you saying an 18 year old are more politically knowledgeable than four fourteen year olds or two sixteen year olds? I don't think so.

As it has always been, voting IS for the elderly, who suddenly realize that politics plays a role in their life because of social security, and the like.

This is a move strictly to attempt to boost voter turnout, but I predict will backfire because either, everyone won't vote, or they'll just vote because they want to vote, not because they really do care about something.

As others have said, the VAST majority of teenagers, heck even up to mid 20's I'd warrant, have little interest in politics. Take a look at this forum for example. How many members here at EoFF actually post regularly at this World Events section? I'd say maybe a 10th of the total members.

For those younger folks who are indeed interested in politics, bravo I say, because you will definitely play a role in society as time goes by.

Take care all.

At 14 your a child and your opinions some what dont matter in elections, because either way your listening to your parents and you cant really vote. So yeah what others say, its stupid.

I think voting should wait untill you're not an adolescent anymore - that is, 18, or higher. 14 year-olds cannot possibly comprehend everything that has to do with voting, let alone making a proper decision and voting for the canidate that REALLY matches their way of thinking. It's just a matter of intellectual and emotional maturity, that 14 year-olds don't have.

Also, young votes can be easily swayed, much more easily that you could change the mind of a 40 year-old man.

I think this is the most ridiculous thing ever. What are they doing? Giving each 14 year old a quarter of a vote? What's this? Are we back to that time when black voters were given a third of a vote? And do most 14-year olds, or anyone 18 and younger care about voting? Well, I know that most don't give a hoot, so why is California considering allowing teens 14 and older to vote, giving them partial vote? Excuse me, but I think it's dumb. California is already crazy enough, but allowing kids to vote is just stupid. :rolleyes2

I don't post often here, but it's the forum I frequent most.

Anyway, I had heard about this some time ago, but had dismissed it.

Honestly, when I was fourteen, I had some interest in pollitics, but not nearly enough to form an opinion of both candidates based on their views and morals.

I may have voted, for the sake of voting, but I'm nearing 18 now, and I question the validity of my opinions. So, to answer your questions, I think it's a bad idea.

However, perhaps jealousy plays some sort of role in my current view. "Why should 14 year olds be able to vote, when I couldn't?" Keh, I'm not sure, but certainly wouldn't support it.

"Well, I was informed at 14, but then again, I got interested in politics at that age, and it's not exactly something normal, most 14 year olds I knew did not know a thing about them."

Shadow Nexus, I would say that you have a better understanding of politics than most adults and even those so called intelligent adults.
But as far as a population of 14 year olds, your peers probably struggled with the plot of "Power Rangers" or were too interested in the Spice Girls (Espanola translation of course!!!) to even be aware of obstacles to weekend leisure time known as 'books'.


"I've never voted ever since my 18th birthday voting time. I’ll vote when and if I see a candidate I actually trust."

The problem with this attitude is that your vote goes to the winner... Think about it. As an example, if there is a vote for abortion laws and you remain undecided - if abortion is implemented then your vote has effectively helped the winning policy. This is known as "Democratic truancy" and the Bush government relied on it to get into power last time. Everyone who did not vote effectively voted for Bush.

"The problem with this attitude is that your vote goes to the winner... Think about it. As an example, if there is a vote for abortion laws and you remain undecided - if abortion is implemented then your vote has effectively helped the winning policy. This is known as "Democratic truancy" and the Bush government relied on it to get into power last time. Everyone who did not vote effectively voted for Bush."

Yes indeed, or even worse, people who were turned off by Bush and Gore voted Nader, which was still basically voting for Bush because Nader voters weren't Republicans anyway. I think the entire system needs to be overhauled, create a more free market place of politics instead of two major parties.

Take care all.

Shadow Nexus, I would say that you have a better understanding of politics than most adults and even those so called intelligent adults.

Thanks :blush:

But as far as a population of 14 year olds, your peers probably struggled with the plot of "Power Rangers" or were too interested in the Spice Girls (Espanola translation of course!!!) to even be aware of obstacles to weekend leisure time known as 'books'.

No, no Spanish version of Spice Girls. We live in a globablized world, now crap is international. You got Enrique Iglesias who dares insult us calling his :bou::bou::bou::bou: "latin music" and we got Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

As for books, they read "Goosebumps". Well, I read Agatha Christie and "Sophie's World", not exactly the greatest exponent in literature...but it's better than nothing.

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed reading philosophy when I was a wee youngster. I didn't get into fiction novels until my late teen years.

Now that I think about it, some states in America still have laws allowing 14 year olds to marry, so perhaps we should have seen this coming. Sad, really.

Take care all.

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed reading philosophy when I was a wee youngster. I didn't get into fiction novels until my late teen years.

I can say I didn't discover philosophy until 15...I did read some stuff on it before, but it was not until I knew about Plato that I decided to read about it...and ended where I have ended...in a career withut profit...but thats OK because I don't believe in instrumental reason.

I was interested in politics at 14, but my opinions were too naive and childish to be valid. And I would be considered an anomoly amongst teenagers because of it. I am happy with the voting age where it is.

I'm 14 years old right now. Even if I did have the rights to vote, I probable wouldn't do it.

My first readings were of tales (metaphysics)... simple stories from ye olde times. I loved the way many stories from around the world (even from pre-columbian America) were similar. i.e. the Aztec world egg and the legend of Noah's arc... i.e. the rainbow as a gift.

I guess I did not filter the stories this much as a child, but I hated reading paper back novels, where "Jimmy looses his toy truck" or "Kate wants a new bike" so I stuck with Encyclopaedia and Hard backs. My year 2 teacher was confounded why two of her students would talk for hours about the Trojan wars, the hero Napoleon and his campaigns over Europe, Why Russia was so big and how old the Kingdom of Denmark was. Children have a talent for remembering dates too.
All the other kids in the school just wanted to play Tonka trucks. I fell grateful that my grandmother gave me a set of World Book instead of a toy truck that was the only key difference. Teachers should encourage all their students to read over and above the 'reading/spelling standard".


I just don't think that kids have the life experience to vote... and the general response from 14 year-olds is that they would not vote anyhow.

Some fourteen year olds are informed enough to be voting and <s>some</s> most adults are not. That's exactly why age restrictions on rights and privileges are terrible and some kind of aptitude test should be the method for determining eligibility.

most of you dont know fourteen year old :S things have cahnged, i was 14 two years ago and there are two main types of people, people that are smart and would have a political opinon, and the stupid idiots that would either not vote or just vote for the hell of it. so i am saying this idea is a bad one because of the stupid people, however not all 14 are like that!

It depends on the mind-set of the fourteen year old in question, I'd say. As much of a shocker as this might be, I do know quite a few fourteen year olds who would vote if they had their chance, and they'd use that chance to vote wisely. Not all fourteen year olds are that way, but then again, not all thirty year olds are that way either, and they're still allowed to vote.

It depends on the mind-set of the fourteen year old in question, I'd say. As much of a shocker as this might be, I do know quite a few fourteen year olds who would vote if they had their chance, and they'd use that chance to vote wisely. Not all fourteen year olds are that way, but then again, not all thirty year olds are that way either, and they're still allowed to vote.

right on brother!

I would have been interested in voting at 14, because I was one of the odd kids who liked reading about local/national politics. I still think allowing voting at 14 for everyone would be foolish, though. Especially because over here it's compulsory to vote after you turn 18. There would be a lot of uniformed decisions floating around. Ah, well.

Will this mean that politicians will now lie to 14 year olds as well? Joy.

Take care all.

Though I have my doubts, I don't think 14-year-olds with the vote is as big of a problem as everyone thinks it is. The main argument against it seems to be that 14-year-olds won't make informed decisions, but that's overlooking the fact that many adults don't make informed decisions. I know that while I may not have known much about politics when I was 14, I knew about as much as most adults by the time I was 15 or 16. I think we tend to underestimate 14-year-olds in that respect.

My main concern would be that voter turnout would drop even more. The 26th amendment gave 18-21 year olds the vote, but voter turnout is very low for that age group (and has been traditionally). But overall, I'm not adamantly opposed to the whole thing. I might even favor it with a little more thought.

14 year olds aren't smart enough to have such power

The problem is, most 14 year olds would probably end up being coerced into voting for whoever their parents want them to vote for. This is like giving more votes to the parents who may or may not be qualified themselves.

14 year olds aren't smart enough to have such power -/\/I\/\

................. :mad: well i didnt know this was a hate thread... ha ha coming from a guy with a kids t.v. show avatar


Anyway 14 year olds are focusing on other issues, politics are the least of our worries. Also most kids wants to make their parents proud, and will vote for the parent's favorite, like was stated before.

It isn't that we arent smart enough, its that most of us couldn't care less.

Voting at 14 is the STUPIDEST idea ever! I am 15 and I will probably not vote if they do pass that law. I think it should be yuo have to be 21 to vote. cause 21 is the official adult age. But that's just me. Our country comes up with the craziest<--(did I spell this right?) stuff :p