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I think if you're old enough to fight and die for your country, you ought to be able to vote. And it's not really true that an 18-year-old "doesn't pay taxes." Income taxes, maybe not. But every time an 18-year-old puts gas in his car, buys a pair of jeans, pays a bridge toll or makes any other type of purchase, he is paying taxes.
Consider an 18 year old who is intellectually capable, educated, and receiving legitimate disability. They can still "contribute to society" in multiple ways. Maybe its just you who can't imagine how. As already mentioned, they DO pay taxes if they buy services or goods! They have the same right to vote as anyone else. Do you claim to have a crystal ball? What they may or may not do in some unpredictable future has nothing to do with the present. Some future wasted vote isn't retroactive.
In some cases that 18 year old who just had all their civics courses may know more about how the government runs than an older person who has forgotten.
In some cases that 18 year old who just had all their civics courses may know more about how the government runs than an older person who has forgotten.
This goes back to the older argument that only those who own property (land, home, business) should be allowed to vote. That’s a slippery slope. Who gets to decide which people should not be able to vote? Those who are on some form of welfare, adults living with relatives because they’ve fallen on hard times, where would the line be drawn before it gets moved again? It would be nice if everyone must have taken classes on the US Government and passed test, both written and verbal, before getting the right to vote. But that’s not the country we have. Not everyone is good at taking test but are intelligent enough to make their own choice in candidates.
Old enough to go to war; old enough to vote against those who would send them to war.
BTW, I didn't vote because neither answer fits my opinion.
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