Voting is a no-brainer; either you like a party or you don't. Thirteen year olds can easily pick up on where views on an issue differ and decide on who they like better. Children and young people under the age of 18 cannot vote. Yet they constitute one of the largest single blocks of citizens — more than twice the number of citizens of 65 years or older. Therefore why aren't we using all these votes.
Talking to your thirteen year olds about elections and viewpoints across the board then giving the child his/her choice-vote can be a very nice family activity, can be educational and should instill into a Thirteen year olds the idea that s/he is important enough to make decisions on who and what should rule his/her country.
Thirteen year olds like to know they are important and have a say in this world, because at our age it is not likely that people listen to our views because what can we do about it. There has been many examples of children setting up agencies, websites even radio stations. Jonathan Krohn is a fourteen year old boy from america, and he gives advice to conservatives for future; and he does this on the news right over america. So this is just one example of the maturity of young teens these days.
In our multimedia-based society thirteen year olds are exposed to more information than ever. Television, Internet, and satellite news are available 24/7. Polar ice caps are melting, our troops are dying, and people are starving as we watch live. My generation is more aware of what is going on in the world than previous ones. My generation is more likely to be offspring of single-parent families, multi-racial families, and openly gay parents. The world has changed, society is different from when our parents grew up.
Many may say that thirteen year olds are not mature enough, to young and easily bribed, most thirteen year olds are mature and have an opinion, yes they can be bribed but most teenagers are stubborn and want to keep to their own mind.
Perhaps only the politically aware should vote, whether there 13 or 103, if you don’t know how your vote will affect everyone, or how a candidate will govern, then maybe you shouldn’t cast your vote. So if the age of voting is lowered to thirteen it wouldn't hurt anyone would it.
Yes, it is true that any thirteen year old can select a party and vote for them. But voting purely based on whether you like a party or not, is a foolhardy way to run a country. Unfortunately, many qualified voters do this. A significant part of choosing a party is their policies, and plans for the future. Whilst there are undoubtedly thirteen year olds who understand, and consider these factors, the majority would not. And whilst most would not be bribed to the face, simple party policies, such as free Wi-Fi for students, (Internet-Mana Coalition) will persuade many to vote for a party with no other research or consideration taken. You are however, correct in stating that teenagers like to know that their opinions matter. Allowing any teenager to vote, is, however, a little extreme. An alternative could be to increase education of Politics and Government, perhaps as a Year 8 only subject, (Something that should be done more at Stonefields in order to prepare them for College) in order to prepare a new generation of voters who do not simply vote for the party they like.
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