Taffy
New Member
Well, apparently 'they' want to lower the limit for voting in the UK to 16. EXCELLENT! And with that, my reign of terror is soon to begin! Muhahaha!
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Age limit for voting... TO CHANGE!
- Thread starter Taffy
- Start date
Gibsonfire
In Cryo Sleep
I think its a good idea, think about it, you can join the army, get married, have sex at 16 but you cant vote?
Pestcontrol
In Cryo Sleep
Voting doesn't affect your personal life, but everyone's. Voting assumes you're educated enough to form a personal opinion on what's best and select a candidate to vote for based on that. It's different from the other things you mentioned, it's considered a greater responsibility than sex or the army.
The question of exactly what criteria a person should meet in order to be eglible to vote is a difficult one. Personally i think some 16yr olds can vote fine while other people should never be allowed to vote.
Personally i think voting is a matter of morality and being informed. Do you vote to have the best for your nation, or for yourself, or the world? How much can you be influenced by the appearance of politicians and campaigning? How well do you follow the news, and can you grab all the issues that are playing, and the standpoints of the parties you can vote for?
Some cold hard facts are that people at the age of 16-17 are less likely to follow the news, easier to influence, etc. In fact, from a developmental psychology point of view you're not an adult at 18 either. As much as it makes sense that you want to have the same rights, it's not always a good idea.
Think about it the other way around, if you should be able to vote at 16, why not at 15? or 14?
or 10?
The question of exactly what criteria a person should meet in order to be eglible to vote is a difficult one. Personally i think some 16yr olds can vote fine while other people should never be allowed to vote.
Personally i think voting is a matter of morality and being informed. Do you vote to have the best for your nation, or for yourself, or the world? How much can you be influenced by the appearance of politicians and campaigning? How well do you follow the news, and can you grab all the issues that are playing, and the standpoints of the parties you can vote for?
Some cold hard facts are that people at the age of 16-17 are less likely to follow the news, easier to influence, etc. In fact, from a developmental psychology point of view you're not an adult at 18 either. As much as it makes sense that you want to have the same rights, it's not always a good idea.
Think about it the other way around, if you should be able to vote at 16, why not at 15? or 14?
or 10?
Carth
In Cryo Sleep
When I heard this I thought it was absolute nonsense. Voting age should stay the same. When I was 16 I had no idea about politics. When I was 18 I still had no idea, but was made to vote. The truth is, age is no measure of someone's suitability to vote.
You get perfectly informed, mature, politically aware 12 year olds, does that mean we should allow them to vote? You get perfect idiots who should never be allowed to vote and are 35. Does that mean we whould take away their voice?
If you are below 18 and think you should be able to vote, have a look around you at the people your age. You'd be allowing them to vote too.
Anyway, lowering the voting age is absurd, I hope it doesn't happen. Don't worry if you're not old enough to vote now, during the course of your life you'll get plenty of chance to throw away a vote or vote for a party you don't support or know enough about.
The more I learn about democracy, the more I realise it's a sham. Dictatorships ftw.
You get perfectly informed, mature, politically aware 12 year olds, does that mean we should allow them to vote? You get perfect idiots who should never be allowed to vote and are 35. Does that mean we whould take away their voice?
If you are below 18 and think you should be able to vote, have a look around you at the people your age. You'd be allowing them to vote too.
Anyway, lowering the voting age is absurd, I hope it doesn't happen. Don't worry if you're not old enough to vote now, during the course of your life you'll get plenty of chance to throw away a vote or vote for a party you don't support or know enough about.
The more I learn about democracy, the more I realise it's a sham. Dictatorships ftw.
DeZmond
Junior Administrator
Perhaps, then, the logical way to limit voting is to assess people wishing to do so, based on criteria that allow general ignorance to be highlighted? But that's a very dark road to go down...
Basically, I would have liked the opportunity to have been able to vote at the age of 16. In fact, because of the fact that the voting age limit is 18, I wasn't able to vote in that election, and won't be able to vote until the next one in 2009. Grr. Yet at the same time, I was put on the electoral register at the age of 16. Very strange...
Yes, it is correct that many 16 year old's are very easy to influence, and yes, many don't have a clue. It's how we can find a way to let those who really care about voting to do it at a younger age.
Basically, I would have liked the opportunity to have been able to vote at the age of 16. In fact, because of the fact that the voting age limit is 18, I wasn't able to vote in that election, and won't be able to vote until the next one in 2009. Grr. Yet at the same time, I was put on the electoral register at the age of 16. Very strange...
Yes, it is correct that many 16 year old's are very easy to influence, and yes, many don't have a clue. It's how we can find a way to let those who really care about voting to do it at a younger age.
Pestcontrol
In Cryo Sleep
Carth, the strength of a democracy is _not_ that the people will choose the best candidate (because they won't always), the strength of a democracy is that leaders have to be responsible to the people and if they mess up, they won't be elected next time.
Dez, i've thought about the same thing (when i was 17, heh), you could devise some sort of test people have to pass in order to obtain their right to vote, just like obtaining a driver's license. Problem is, it's impossible to guarantee the test won't be biased, passing liberals before conservatives. People of higher social classes may be able to prepare their children for such a test, in short, the electorate wouldn't be an accurate representation of the population anymore. Even if that's for the better, it wouldn't be a real democracy anymore.
An age limit, with all it's flaws, is something everyone can agree on.
Dez, i've thought about the same thing (when i was 17, heh), you could devise some sort of test people have to pass in order to obtain their right to vote, just like obtaining a driver's license. Problem is, it's impossible to guarantee the test won't be biased, passing liberals before conservatives. People of higher social classes may be able to prepare their children for such a test, in short, the electorate wouldn't be an accurate representation of the population anymore. Even if that's for the better, it wouldn't be a real democracy anymore.
An age limit, with all it's flaws, is something everyone can agree on.
Pestcontrol
In Cryo Sleep
Carth said:Yes. Dictatorships ftw
It'll be very interesting to see where China is going the next decade or three, it may prove the superiority of democracies wrong.
Maybe voting should be restricted to under 16's only ... after all they are the only ones with the time to watch telly and be influenced with all the "cool" propoganda tools leading up to an election. That leaves the rest of us to get on with either influencing the under 16's to vote for what we want or earning some money
*there's is a heavy dose of abstract sillyness here so dont take it too seriously*
*there's is a heavy dose of abstract sillyness here so dont take it too seriously
*
Taffy
New Member
Carth said:
Yes and yes. Seriously, idiots can be dangerous. For example, not gonna happen I know, but if enough vote BNP or National Front for a 'laugh', then think of the consequences. Everyone should have to take a political awareness test at the age of 16, and either given the vote or not.
Welcome to my world
So then it isn't a democracy anymore. The whole point is everyone has a voice. Start removing that, and you've got a dictatorship. What's to stop the government currently in power from removing the votes of those who have voted against them in the past?Taffy said:
Pestcontrol
In Cryo Sleep
The point is (as i stated before) you can select voters on age, it'd still be fair for everyone, but you can't test them on political awareness, or education or income, it wouldn't be equal anymore. Taffy's world is preparing for a dictatorship (not that that's bad ).
If the age for voting has to change, i'd prefer bumping it to 20 over lowering it to 16.
Same for the limit on driving, i don't think you're responsible enough at 16 to drive a vehicle, you'd see a lot of accidents.
).If the age for voting has to change, i'd prefer bumping it to 20 over lowering it to 16.
Same for the limit on driving, i don't think you're responsible enough at 16 to drive a vehicle, you'd see a lot of accidents.