Should the voting age be raised to 40?

Question

And cut off at 60?

I couldn't vote until I was 21, and I'm over 60, so it would shut me out. But is 18 way too young to have a handle on what you should know to be voting?
When the Constitution was being written there was a great deal of discussion as to who should vote (and women were never excluded, that was done later by the states). It was a very near thing that it did not happen that only property owners could vote. Isn't 18 too young> I mean, look at how bonky some of the answers on Yahoo Answers are.

Answer 1

I would love for their to be a simple application test to register, English only, question #1 where does the government get it's money? #2 Who was the father of the Republican party?#3 Which party fought the civil right amendment?4# what is the first and second amendments? Who are your Senators and how many do you have? I know that is a trick question.

Answer 2

While I agree that the younger someone is, the more idealistic and fanatical they are, I’m not sure I’d agree with that. Even though many of the ideas they have is based on their lack of experience. Many young liberals will change the way they think once they have made their way in the world, worked hard to get somewhere, and learned what life is really like. The 22 yr old pot smoking recent college grad with a Liberal Arts degree that learned nothing more than chugging beer is going to have a much different opinion than the 40 year old man with a family, decent job, and that is tired of losing part of his paycheck to pay for things he doesn’t want. Young adults are affected by the policies and should be given a choice.
Those that live off welfare and social services that are still capable of working though, now THEY shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Anyone that can’t read also shouldn’t.
What would make a huge difference would be if the media would take a completely objective stance and simply report everything fairly. Good and bad, for every candidate.

Answer 3

I don't know. The reason the voting age changed is because they changed the draft laws, and the 18 year olds felt that if they were old enough to be drafted, then they were old enough to vote. But I don't know that many people who are older than 21 who are up on all the issues, etc. I don't think it really matters because some are informed and some are not, regardless of age.

Answer 4

I don't think there should be a cut-off age, but I think lowering the age to 18 was a really bad idea. I don't think I'll find much disagreement when I say that people in that age group are at just about the stupidest time of their lives (and I'm in that group!). Give people a little more time to mature and realize what they're doing before they start changing the country. 40 is way too high, and 18 is way too low; I'd say 21 is just about right.

Answer 5

No,. maybe some other requirement, like a certain base set of knowledge you need to know before voting. So as not to alienate anyone, if you fail the test you can be taught on the spot, and then go ahead and vote.

Answer 6

I didn't agree with your suggestion until I started reading the answers. Wow, some real idiots on YA!

I was in the Army being shot at before I could vote. I don't buy that sorry krap about military service or taxes, sheesh people, grow up already. Seeing as how there is never a shortage of wars, how about limiting the right to vote and to run for office to combat veterans? Now that would be fair.

I just re-read the Constitution, and as you know, it never prohibited women from voting, and in some states they did vote from Day One, as it were.

I'd favor some sort of testing to qualify to register were it not for the fact that when there were literacy requirements, a friend of mine who had just rec'd her Ph.D from Columbia was at first not allowed to register. She had presented her diploma as proof of literacy but the registrar didn't know what it was because it was in Latin.

Answer 7

So, at 18 a person cannot legally drink (in the US), but they are close to or have graduated from HS. They can vote, and they can be drafted. They would be charged as an adult if they commit a crime.

So, if we change the voting age to 40, does that mean they also cannot be drafted until they are 40? So, we should change the status of adult from 18 to 40?

There are some 18 year olds out there who are very responsible and mature. There are some 40 year olds I know who act like they are 12....

Answer 8

I didn't smarten up until i was in my 30's!! a fire brand liberal who didn't know my *** from a shovel!!
I see some of the answers on this question..right now and i can't believe what i am reading!!
with our school systems that do not seem to teach anything let alone..our own history or civics(i don't think they teach that anymore) I don't believe they can even make a decision to cross the street or not!
30 should be the low end and no restriction on the top end!!

Answer 9

Actually, I think it's a great idea, as long, as the age to serve in the military is raised to 40.

As as long as Income Taxes, Property Taxes and such don't come into play until your 40.

I suppose one couldn't get married and start a family until they were 40 either.

The reality is, these are just some of the issues that concern 18 year olds. Do you really think that it would be fair, to exclude them from the elective process, just because they are young ?

If we can send them off to war at 18, then, they should have an equal say.

Answer 10

I'm close to your age, so you may remember why it was changed. Nixon lowered to 18 as a campaign promise. He said that if you're old enough to die for your country, you're old enough to vote. I agree with you that the voting age should be increased. I know that when I was 18, I was still immature when it came to politics. I was in Vietnam when I was 18, but that didn't qualify me to vote.