Let voting age stay at 18

Leading Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaisingh has suggested lowering of the voting age from 18 to 16 years. In 90 percent of democ racies around the world, people are allowed to vote only at 18 or above. However, Austria is a known exception where the age has been lowered to 16 while in many other countries, persons be tween 16 and 18 can vote in municipal elections.

In the United States, people in this category can vote in primaries or elections for party caucuses. A very strong argument against lowering of age stems from immaturity of voters and their choices being driven by their parents’ advice. Few at that age are conscious about ideological framework behind policies of parties, nor are aware of the contestants’ background.

There is also the threat of fake news clouding their judgement. While the youth aged 16 may be voting for the sake of vote, they are less likely to figure out their needs clearly as they are yet to know the practical challenges of real life, the issues that impact livelihood, shape civic life and determine policies vis-à-vis rights and civil liberties.

They can scarcely raise questions essential for a democratic debate. Political maturity demands awareness of issues, ideological responses to them, party identification and attitudinal consistency. A teenager is least expected to be mature enough to make a politi cal choice. Given these factors, it will be better to postpone the decision for a future date rather than advancing the age for voting. It is not a sound idea.