top of page

Youth Voting: Juvnile or the Future?

What is Prop 18 you might ask? Prop 18 is a proposition within our upcoming ballots in 2020, in which 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote in both primary and special elections, but only if they will be 18 -years-old by the subsequent general election. In other words, adolescents will have the opportunity to vote at an even younger age; of course only if they meet the specific requirements.


As of right now, the law of the United States allows citizens 18-years-old or older to legally vote. If passed, this proposition will ensure constitutional changes. In addition to the law stating that “A United States citizen who is at least 18 years of age and a resident in this State may vote.”, a new law will be added, confirming Prop 18 as legal. Many around the nation believe that 18-years-old is too early to vote, for they strongly believe that teens are simply not well prepared to make life-changing decisions for the nation. By now lowering the age, many argue whether or not Proposition 18 is even worth it because of the limitations not allowing all 17-year-olds to be eligible to vote. Proposition 18 went through a long and tedious process to become a part of the ballot. Within the 2019-2020 legislative years, Prop 18 began its process and was able to gather the California State votes, ensuring its ability to pass through the assemblies.


What would voting “yes” look like? Voting “yes” to Prop 18 gives the go-ahead for teens 17-years of age to vote as long as they will be 18-years-old by the time of the upcoming general election. Taking this action will mean that one feels that 17-year-olds on the verge of 18, have the proper political based education and maturity to take the next step into their upcoming and demanding lives as adults. This means a voter is agreeing with the idea that the decisions of our nation should be opened up to young minds, such as the required group of adolescents. Throughout the nation, a total of eighteen states have primarily passed the ballot, allowing 17-year-olds to vote, following the Prop 18 guidelines, as of June 2020. Voting “yes” not only means that you submit your permission to allowing young adults to vote, but will increase the cost by, at the very least, several hundreds of thousands of dollars. This cost will be determined by the materials needed to accommodate eligible 17-year-old voters. The materials, including ballots, etc. that need to be sent out and processed to a larger volume of people increases the overall price for countries by about $1 million every two years. The costs will also include necessary system updates. While all of this is true, being on board with Proposition 18 promotes the idea that young adults are more likely to vote when 18-years-old if they are able to vote within a full cycle. This means that the 17-year-olds may become discouraged in voting for candidates they, themselves, could not choose for the subsequent general election. Not only that, but young people will be encouraged to be involved in a lifetime of future voting by being exposed at a young age.

Everyone has the liberty to vote “yes” as well as “no." Voting “no” rejects the proposition that eligible 17-year-olds should have the ability and responsibility of voting. When voting “no," one understands that young people 17 years of age are known as legal minors. Many argue that the pure innocence and inability to do several other things independently conflicts with the mature responsibility of voting. Considered children, many who vote “no” conclude that letting children vote puts the election integrity at stake. In addition, those who vote “no" conduct strong beliefs that young people are heavily under the influence of their gardiens, teachers, and peers, making their decisions unoriginal. Hearing from a Bella Vista student, “a lot of 17-year-olds don’t actually have an opinion on politics, they just follow what everyone else says” (anonymous, 17). Being in a potential position of having the ability to vote now, they feel they agree with the terms of children not having the proper motivation to base an original opinion. Further, being opposed to Prop 18 also means that one is opposed to the increase in tax measures due to the necessity of an increase of money for essentials. There are three major editorial boards in California that have broadcasted their opposition in that there was no use in extending the legal voting age.


There are a plethora of pros and cons that come with both voting “yes” and voting “no." These pros and cons are what attract or repel different groups of people. As of June 25, 2020, a total of 29 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted in favor of Prop 18, and 0 Democrats opposed while 7 Republicans did the same. On June 26, 2020, the number of Democrats voting “yes” drastically increased to 55 in favor, and 12 Republicans voted “no." What characteristics in a Democrat make them more willing to accept this upcoming proposition?


With that, Prop 18 is an extremely debatable topic. Many viewpoints can be formed regarding whether or not this proposition should proceed forwards into becoming a part of the constitution. Students are the next generation in politics, so should they have a say in the makings of their future?


12 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page