Brenton
Let under 18s Vote.
May 30th 2007 11:01
I was a pretty angry kid during High School. I guess I know why now… a whole lot of things. But one of the things which still makes me angry is the way in which the Government is happy to boot around students.
Unfortunately, students aren’t exactly high up on the agenda for Governments. At least, not so far as their actual welfare is considered. Some problems in schools? Make the students work harder. Or make them read Shakespeare. Or make them… whatever. Point is, students tend to get the arse end of the deal.
What if children were given the right to vote though? Here’s how it would be done. At sixteen, you are permitted to vote. Your vote counts for a quarter vote. At seventeen, it counts for half a vote. At eighteen, the rest is history.
Maybe if they had a say, Governments would be less inclined to use students as pawns for political gain. Maybe if there were consequences for stressing students out to the point of mental instability, then they’re be less inclined to push education policy in a direction that threatens this.
Arguments against this? I can think of three.
Firstly – Under eighteens, especially when involved in a school’s culture, are victims of peer pressure. However, in response I would really have to suggest that everyone in the entire world is a victim of peer pressure.
Second, students knowledge of Politics is pretty limited. This is a totally valid concern. In grade 12 I remember oodles of people asking which political party was in power. However, I would believe that permitting under eighteens to vote would have a positive effect in this regard. Kids are detached from politics throughout their schooling. If politics represented an actual relevance to their lives, perhaps they would be able to form habits of making well informed choices at a younger age, while they are in a learning environment.
Finally, the argument could be made that one should ‘let kids be kids’, and not push politics onto them. However these are not kids who are unaffected, or uninterested in the political world. They are ready and willing to care and act. The question is, will society embrace this desire, or slowly squeeze it out of their system until the very idea of voting seems horrific?
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Unfortunately, students aren’t exactly high up on the agenda for Governments. At least, not so far as their actual welfare is considered. Some problems in schools? Make the students work harder. Or make them read Shakespeare. Or make them… whatever. Point is, students tend to get the arse end of the deal.
What if children were given the right to vote though? Here’s how it would be done. At sixteen, you are permitted to vote. Your vote counts for a quarter vote. At seventeen, it counts for half a vote. At eighteen, the rest is history.
Maybe if they had a say, Governments would be less inclined to use students as pawns for political gain. Maybe if there were consequences for stressing students out to the point of mental instability, then they’re be less inclined to push education policy in a direction that threatens this.
Who says politics isn't considered 'cool'?
Arguments against this? I can think of three.
Firstly – Under eighteens, especially when involved in a school’s culture, are victims of peer pressure. However, in response I would really have to suggest that everyone in the entire world is a victim of peer pressure.
Second, students knowledge of Politics is pretty limited. This is a totally valid concern. In grade 12 I remember oodles of people asking which political party was in power. However, I would believe that permitting under eighteens to vote would have a positive effect in this regard. Kids are detached from politics throughout their schooling. If politics represented an actual relevance to their lives, perhaps they would be able to form habits of making well informed choices at a younger age, while they are in a learning environment.
Finally, the argument could be made that one should ‘let kids be kids’, and not push politics onto them. However these are not kids who are unaffected, or uninterested in the political world. They are ready and willing to care and act. The question is, will society embrace this desire, or slowly squeeze it out of their system until the very idea of voting seems horrific?
IMAGE
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