What should be the age to retire from voting ?

Question

When the minimum age for casting a vote is 18 then why can't we fix an age for the maximum age.

Minimum age for casting a vote is reduced from 21 to 18 because it was felt that, at the age of 18 one can clearly judge the candidate.

Govt fixed the age limit for retirement i.e 58 or 60 or 65 , why because it thinks at that age a person can't judge properly.

So why govt is not implementing a maximum age for casting a vote?

I admire people who still work at the age above 60 but my question is that why it is fixed that one should retire at certain age.?
When its already decided that one has to retire then why not for casting a vote?

Answer 1

I remember being young and knowing everything there is to know. Sounds like you are there. The age was dropped from 21 to 18, but should have been raised to 25 or 30. Most 18 year old children are so dumb that if their brain turned to leather, they couldn't saddle a pissant.

Answer 2

I'm still trying to figure out how 18 became the magic age. In most states you can't drink until you are 21. It is very hard to rent a nice apartment until you are 21. More often than not kids are still in High School at age 18. Personally the age of consent, enlistment(draft), drinking, full driver license, and adult rights should be moved back up to 21 as it once was and still is in many other countries. Why is it okay to die for your country at 18 but not allowed to drink? I think we need to let kids be kids...

And to really stop and answer your question...you are a bit behind the times. The retirement age has been increase to 72 ...and older if you still desire or need to work as many of our current seniors do. How could you want to put a maximum age on voting? Just because you get older and your body doesn't work as well as a 20 yr old doesn't mean you loose your mind as well. Talk to me when you hit 58, or 65....it would be fun to hear if your thoughts change then.

Answer 3

The reason for lowering the voting age to 18 is because at that age teenagers still know everything yet haven't been clued into the whole "life's not fair" thing.
So, whenever the President does something they lack the life experience to understand, or the Mayor or whatever, they yell "that's not fair!"
Grown ups have a bit more lassez faire attitude on the whole "life isn't fair" thing because they've been slapped around by reality a bit. So technically instead of taking away the right to vote from older people, maybe the 18 year olds should prove they have even the slightest grounding in reality.
I would give a combat exemption from this, where if you serve in the military in a combat zone, you can vote at 18 always.

Answer 4

As long as people are still able to read or hear about the issues, and understand them, they should be free to cast their ballots. Now they do not need to go to the polls--they can do early voting, online voting, mail-in voting, etc. Some quite elderly people know a lot more about current events than do the "too busy" young ones.

The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 because the Vietnam War was going on at that time. It was felt unfair that people who could not even vote were out there dying for their country--in an action that was not even called a war.

That is also why many states kept their drinking age at 18 back then--if you are old risk your life, you're old enough to drink, was the thought. And why not--some of those troops would never get to see their 21st birthday! (The sole reason that every state's legal drinking age is now 21 is because the federal government said it would refuse federal highway funds to states that didn't conform).

There are people in their 70s and 80s who still hold jobs. I personally know a 96-year-old woman who knows more about politics than any college professor I ever met. Additionally, seniors are becoming a very large percent of the population--they have every right to vote for people and bills that will affect their lives.

Answer 5

As I recall, the 18 business was started because that was the age that you could be drafted for the Vietnam war. It also included lowering the drinking age at the time. The latter went back up to 21 because, at 18, you could not make good judgments about alcohol use. There is certainly a place for the consideration of maturity and experience in the process of making judgment. Youth tends to be idealistic and impulsive. Age tends to be reality/experience based and less impulsive. To reach good consensus, both types of thinking and judgment are needed. Without both parts you get quick, poorly thought out decisions, or detailed decisions with little change.
The retirement age was chosen for social security retirement because, at the time, The Roosevelt Era, most working people did not survive much beyond the age of 65. This made the program very much a 'feel good' piece but not very expensive. It has actually run at a surplus until recent years. Better health, longer lives, and higher wages have turned this around and gotten all the politicos very nervous for the future. The ages were arbitrary to that extent and had nothing to do with the mental ability of the workers involved.
Maybe you should look at some history and think about where your information is coming from.

Answer 6

1). There should not be one!!!!!!

Comment: The minimum age to vote was not lowered for that reason, it was because the government wanted more available and eligible citizens of the majority to draft. That were young and unencumbered.

2). The constitution only specifies the minimum age.

3). It is not the reason for retirement, it is the physical capabilities that were the reason. The mental capabilities usually are intact, with the exception of a few disorders.

4). Simply, they government can't!!!! There is not an allowance for it in the Constitution. And there never will be.

Answer 7

there shouldn't be a set age for retiring from voting, because people age at different levels. someone at 100 yrs. old might have a much clearer mind, than someone that is 50. it depends on a lot of different things. the reason, i think, for a minimum age is because most kids haven't learned enough in life to be able to make a good decision, and many older people are very wise and have watched what has been happening in this world a lot longer. anyone, age 18 or 80, that are unable to make rational decisions, shouldn't, and i don't think is allowed to, vote.

Answer 8

Because to fix an age where a person cannot vote anymore is against many laws. It is a given that a person must mature to a certain point, before being an "adult", that is why there is a minimum age requirement to vote. Everyone that is of age, has the option to vote, and that option to vote cannot be taken away from a citizen of the United States of America. Even convicted felons get a chance to vote, and some of them I would be far more worried about voting than a simple, age experienced person. To sum it up in short, the government cannot set a max age limit, for doing that would be illegal. Good luck.

Answer 9

No one should retire from their civic duty or their legal and constitutional rights as citizens. Older people can stop voting when the government at the federal, state and local level stops taxing them. Until then, they have paid for the privilege of deciding who makes decisions for them in our government.
One day you will be over 50. It will be interesting to see what your opinion of yourself is then. Do you really believe that age has anything to do with wisdom as it pertains to voting? They are not synonymous. The minimum age for voting was also changed to 18 by the way, because most taxpayers in society felt that if you are old enough to pick up a gun and kill someone in a war, you are old enough to vote for those who would send you into battle.

Answer 10

Infact a test should be conducted for eligibility for voting.Today people are wooed by liquor and money.They do not look at the credentials of the person contesting.I do not feel 18 is a right age for casting vote.They are too immature and cannot make propoer decisions.Upper limit should go to 65.But some of our politicians are above 70s and still they become prime ministers!!!

Answer 11

Dear friend moon, please modify your question !! Ask us that what should be the maximum age for a candidate in politics. Average age of ministers in India is 63.5 years but in a developed country average age of ministers is around 41 to 43 years.
We need to prevent old politicians to participate as candidates. The voting right to people may be used till death, because voting is never made compulsory. If the physical and mental health is good, there should be no reason to prevent from voting.
Here one will tell me that, in the same way, let the physically and mentally sound people participate in politics. But all know the real position in Indian politics that they always take undue advantage and undue influence of their former positions held.