by Isabella Pilot ‘18

The transition from sheltered middle school days to the opportunistic world of high school is an intimidating one. Teenagers are hit hard with responsibility; driving, getting a job, planning for the future. Adults expect teenagers to adjust to the real world in the blink of an eye, so why are young adults held back from having a say in who runs their country?

The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, granted citizens “who are eighteen years of age or older” the right to vote. This legislation was passed due to the unjust actions of our government during World War II in sending 18-year-old men to war who lacked the right to vote. The United States might not be sending unrepresented young men into battle anymore, but the passage of the 26th amendment surely did not end all government discrimination against teenagers.

Eighty percent of high school students get a job at some point before graduating, and each and every one of these students are required to pay taxes. On top of this, teenagers must pay sales tax on every purchase. This totals up to billions of dollars in taxes paid by teenagers to the government, yet teenagers have no say in how much is taken from them.

Additionally, children as young as 13 are tried as adults, approximately 3,000 of them serving life sentences without parole and some 10,000 being held in adult jails.

Possibly the biggest argument against granting teens their right to vote is their immaturity and lack of knowledge, but is it fair to generalize all young adults as incompetent? Plenty of teens participate in student government, enroll in government courses, and stay up to date on current events. These teens can offer a fresh perspective to the fast-changing political world. Students lacking knowledge and maturity will likely also lack motivation to go out to the polls and vote, and what’s the worst that could happen if they do participate? Writing in “Beyoncé” or their own name onto one ballot won’t make a difference on the outcome of an election.

Society is constantly changing. Teenagers living nowadays lead entirely different lives than teenagers in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. People vote based on their individual experiences, and adults simply don’t know what it’s like to be a teen in 2016. The only way to ensure that teenagers are given their well-deserved representation is by giving them their well-deserved right to vote.