When it comes to voting, there are a lot of things that come with it. Although voting is a right, that doesn’t mean it comes with no responsibility. As someone who just so happens to turn eighteen years old the responsibilities of the year of a presidential election. Knowing that the first time I can go vote will help decide who leads the country, it’s a lot to take in.
Why do most people consider eighteen to be the threshold for being able to make these decisions? Are people able to tell the difference between an eighteen-year-old and a seventeen-year-old? In its 1963 report to President Johnson, the President’s Commission on Registration and Voting Participation recommended reducing the voting age.
On May 29, 1968, Johnson advocated giving 18-year-olds the national right to vote immediately. Most states raised the legal age to smoke because the human brain fully develops at the age of 25. The risk of drug-seeking behavior and mood problems is increased when the growing brain is exposed to the neurotoxic effects of nicotine.
The Minds of Eighteen-Year-Old’s
Even New York officials proposed on April 22, 2013, to raise the legal age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21. In 47 states, the age of majority — the age at which a person has the legal rights and responsibilities of an adult — is 18. Why is 18 considered the age of adulthood? The age of adulthood in most legal contexts was 21, the minimum voting age in most states before the 26th Amendment’s ratification in 1971 was 21.
In reaction to unrest and fervent discussion over the Vietnam War, Congress lowered the voting age nationwide to eighteen. Eighteen-year-olds are roughly halfway through the process that begins around puberty, and the changes that occur between the ages of eighteen and 25 continue that process. Their prefrontal cortex is still growing.
Impulsive Decisions of an Eighteen Year Old
People are still expected to make rash decisions when the part of the brain that makes decisions is fully grown. In addition to this, there is no way to know what people are supposed to be doing. There is no handbook on what to do or not to do, only experiences. If someone is seventeen and they don’t watch the news, play games, drive to work, and then party with their friends what makes people think that they will stop all of that and be an adult just because their birthday came around?
Furthermore, the adolescent brain differs in that its reward system becomes extremely active around puberty and then gradually returns to an adult level, reaching its peak around age 25. This phenomenon increases the inclination of adolescents and young adults to seek out and investigate uncertain situations in the hopes of learning something, even if it is only temporary.
There are over twenty different things that someone can do legally when they are eighteen and most of these don’t come with a how-to guide. If they are constantly seeking out the uncertainty there is no telling what they will get themselves into.
When it Comes to Eighteen Year Old’s and Their Responsibilities
Why is the voting age set at 18 rather than, say, 16 or 19? The age itself has no scientific foundation, thus it’s somewhat arbitrary. While most 18-year-olds seem to have attained adulthood, studies have revealed that adolescence continues until the early 20s. The age of majority had no meaning before the 20th century: teenagers were frequently elected to the British Parliament, 5-year-olds may legally sign contracts requiring them to work until they were 24 years old, and 8-year-olds might be hanged for arson.
The minimum voting age of 18 was established for no apparent reason. A few historians highlight the growth of high school and college enrollments as well as the evolution of the educational system. By the 1960s, almost everyone that was 18 years old had graduated from high school.
Though merely tiring 18 is inevitable, it doesn’t come with any instructions. Although it would be good to have a sense of guidance on what it means to be an adult. Break important things down such as taxes or writing checks and money orders that simply docent exist. Why give eighteen-year old’s all these responsibilities? How can you be expedite to make good desertions if you don’t even have any life experience.
Written By Jada Dunknetell
Sources:
Slate: Old Enough to Vote, Old Enough to Smoke?
NPR: Brain Maturity Extends Well Beyond Teen Years
NCBI: A fresh approach to tobacco control: raising the minimum legal age for access
The Law Dictionary: What Can You Do at 18 Legally?
Democracy: Democracy Events at UChicago
Featured Image Courtesy of Mark Gunn‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of roanokecollege‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
