Should High Schoolers Be Able To Vote?

RHS student attempts to register to vote online.

With the presidential election right around the corner, more debates have been springing up over the voting age. As youth increase their involvement in politics and politicians realize the power of the young vote, there is a divide over whether or not to raise the voting age or decrease it. Honestly, while it’s important for youth to be involved in politics at an early age, I also believe there’s a benefit to both raising or keeping the voting age for larger elections the same.

Republicans, mainly former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, support raising the voting age either to 21 or 25 with exceptions such as serving six months in the military or if you pass a citizenship test according to AP news. Personally, I can see why people would want to raise the voting age, particularly for larger elections.

The National Institute of Mental Health states that “The brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s… the prefrontal cortex, is one of the last parts to mature. This area is responsible for skills like planning, prioritizing, and making good decisions.”

Our ideas and beliefs as teenagers change and evolve as we grow up and explore adulthood, so it would make sense for us to wait a few years and settle in our ideas before we’re allowed to make decisions that could affect us later on in life.

On the other hand, more liberal alignments are pushing to lower the voting age to 16. According to Fox News, the campaign Vote16 aims to allow 16-year-olds to vote in “vote in municipal elections and hold the highest elected offices.”

As a soon-to-be adult and high school student, I would like a say in how my community is run. So much of our lives right now is determined on a local level, from how our parks stay clean to how much our teachers are paid. Plus, getting to vote on small things as a young adult can get us more involved in politics and elections later on.

As such, I believe that while high schoolers such be able to vote in smaller elections, however I believe the voting age for national elections should stay the same. This would allow us to get involved in politics and take responsibility for how our communities are run, while also giving us time to build and explore different views and beliefs.

About the Contributors

Annabelle Bulger, Staff Writer

Annabelle Bulger is a junior at Robinson and a staff writer for Knight Writers. This is her first year on staff. Being an Army Brat, Bulger has been homeschooled for the majority of her life as she has moved across the United States, living in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and Washington before coming to Florida. Despite a lifetime spent on the move, Bulger has never moved from the world of dance. Since she was three, Bulger has continued to dance everywhere she's found herself, currently performing with The Next Generation Ballet Company in Tampa. "Ballet is definitly a staple in my life, it's been the one constant everywhere I've gone, so it's very important to me," Bulger said. However, dance is not where Bulger's artistic talents end. A true musician, when she's not dancing she can be found sharpening playing piano and guitar. She can often be seen wearing Ghost, Sleep Token and Chappell Roan t-shirts. While she classifies herself as a classic rock and heavy metal lover, Bulger could never limit herself to just one type of music. "I love to experiment with genres and expand my music taste, I love all kinds of music," Bulger said. As she becomes more active in the student journalist landscape, Bulger hopes to comment on political and economic issues, mainly how they affect her fellow students. "With the recent surge in activity in the Middle East, and my dad working the job he does, I have gotten very into investigative journalism and in-person reporting regarding these issues and I would love to try that myself while on staff," Bulger said. "I'm highly opinionated and I love to hear other people's point of view."

Charlotte Stone, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Charlotte Stone is a senior at Robinson and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Knight Writers. This is her third year on staff and her third year as an editor. A nod to her original editorial position as Features Editor, Stone enjoys writing in-depth stories about her peers. “My favorite part of journalism is writing features stories,” Stone said. “I love learning about and sharing the unique stories of Robinson students.” An involved member of the Robinson community, Stone co-founded the RHS Film Club and serves as Captain of the girl’s tennis team. As a lover of the classical period, Stone additionally serves as the co-president of the Latin Club. To balance out her academic responsibilities, Stone pursues an eclectic mix of hobbies. “One of my hobbies is collecting sea glass. I started when I was younger and my collection has continued to grow so much since then,” Stone said. “I also love to play guitar. It’s a great creative outlet and helps me relax and take a break from academic responsibilities.” While Stone is fond of the features section, her well-rounded portfolio reflects her wide range of interests. From writing an A&E review to a Q&A, Stone showcases her unique perspective to create insightful, in-depth and engaging stories. As Co-Editor-in-Chief, Stone hopes to build a capable staff to secure the legacy of Robinson’s storied publication. Going into her final year on staff, Stone begins to look to the future. “Honestly I don’t really know what the future looks like for me,” Stone said. I’m not sure what I want to do, but I hope that I’ll be doing something that I love and doesn’t have anything to do with STEM.” (Profile by Vikram Sambasivan)

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Should High Schoolers Be Able To Vote?

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