The Undoing of America: Voting Part 5

Continuing our series, some are calling for a dramatic change to the voting laws. These changes are for political purposes only rather than making changes that are in the best interest of the Republic.

Voting Age

The calls for lowering the voting age to 16 have grown louder and louder. The proponents of reducing the voting age claim it allows more people to participate in the political process. Also, they argue that the youth would be better informed about our government and institutions because voting equals buy-in. Finally, they say that many 16-year olds are working and paying taxes, so it would be akin to when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1971.

Scope of Participation– All three claims made by proponents of lowering the voting age are false. First, lowering the voting age has no impact on the scope of participation in our political process. 100% of Americans can participate in the political process regardless of their ability to vote. While 16-year old’s may not be able to vote, they can contact legislators to lobby for policies/issues. In addition, they can conduct internships for elected officials, and campaign for those seeking elected office.

They have a right to protest and have their voices heard. So, while they may not be able to vote, there is no excuse for a 16-year-old not already taking part in the system. To say a 16-year-old doesn’t have a say in the system is just a lie plain and simple.

Voting creates more civic awareness & civic responsibility– Another myth perpetuated by proponents of this policy is the idea that granting 16-year olds the right to vote will result in them becoming more engaged in civics and learn about our system of governance. Recent surveys show large swaths of the American populace cannot pass a citizenship exam. Regardless of age, only 4 in 10 Americans can pass a citizenship exam. Also, according to a Woodrow Wilson study, only 27% of Americans under the age of 45 demonstrate a basic understanding of American history.

If those, with the right to vote already, do not understand and know about our government and the institutions, do we believe 16-year olds will be more responsible just because they have the right to vote?

It is similar to when we changed the voting age from 21 to 18– Many proponents argue that changing the voting age from 18 to 16 is no different than when we changed it from 21 to 18. They say that the voting age was amended in 1971 because politicians recognized that 18-year-olds work and pay taxes. The argument is ludicrous and flat out wrong. At the time the voting age was changed, we were drafting 18-year-olds to fight in the Vietnam War.

The draft presented a problem for the politicians, and they were aware of how terrible the optics were of sending 18-year-olds to fight and die in a war, but not allowing them to vote for/against the same politicians that were voting to keep the war going. Granting 18-year-olds the right to vote was just smart politics, and it had nothing to do with taxes.

Allowing Prisoners to Vote

Many of the Presidential hopefuls, including the frontrunner Senator Bernie Sanders, are calling for granting the right to vote for those who have been convicted of crimes and are currently in prison. They argue just because you are convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison, it does not mean you shouldn’t be able to vote. They say we do not take away citizenship, so we should not take away their fundamental right to vote.

The logic behind this thought process is flawed. Those who are in prison committed a crime against society and losing the right to vote is part of the punishment. Crimes impact more than just the intended victim(s). They affect the community as a whole. From taxpayer dollars to prosecute and incarcerate the individual to declining property values, crimes have a far-reaching impact on all of society. Once a felon repays their debt to society and serves their sentence, restoring their voting rights is perfectly sound policy. Until then, those who have violated societal norms and are currently serving in prison should not have the right to vote.

Granting the right to vote to illegal immigrants

Several local jurisdictions, including in Maryland and Washington, have granted illegal immigrants the right to vote in local elections. They argue that illegal immigrants are part of the community just like any other resident of a town, village, city or state. They believe the illegal immigrant still pays taxes including sales tax, excise taxes, and some work on the books and pay federal/state income taxes (although that must be using phony documents which is a criminal offense). These people believe illegal immigrant communities have been disenfranchised and are as much a part of the system as American citizens.

This notion is absurd, and cities across America that support this policy should be ashamed. What is the value of citizenship if anyone can vote in our elections? If we are so concerned about Russia influencing our election, how is that any different than millions of noncitizens voting in an election. If 10% of the illegal immigrant population turned out to vote, they would have more influence over our election system than any foreign government. It is sad when the elected officials’ American citizens sent to office fight harder for those who are illegally here than we the people.

Changing voting rights in unnecessary

Those calling for changing the voting system are insincere. The only reason these proponents are calling for the changes is for political reasons. By expanding the voting population, they will be the beneficiaries and capture a larger share of the votes. These people do not care about America and our institutions. The only thing these people care about is power, and they will do whatever it takes to obtain that power.