NESSAholics.com
Other Topics => Completely Off-Topic => Topic started by: tricia on March 09, 2004, 03:09:57 pm
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SACRAMENTO -- Millions of California's teenagers would become the nation's first to vote under a proposed constitutional amendment introduced Monday by a 71-year-old state senator.
Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, proposed the idea alongside three other lawmakers, saying the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society make today's teens better informed than generations of their predecessors.
Coming on the heels of an expected record low turnout among adults in the March 2 election, Vasconcellos would give 16-year-olds a half-vote and 14-year-olds a quarter-vote in state elections beginning in 2006.
The idea, formally called "Training Wheels for Citizenship," first requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature to appear on this November's ballot.
The California suggestion comes 33 years after the United States lowered its voting age from 21 to 18, and amid a fledgling youth movement in the United States and other nations to lower the voting age.
Supporters say Israel allows 17-year-olds to vote in local elections, while Austria and Germany allow 16-year-olds to vote in some local elections. A bill in California letting 17-year-olds vote in primary elections when they will be 18 years old for the general election has languished.
"People who are given opportunity when it counts often live up to it," said Vasconcellos, flanked by nearly 40 teenagers from across the state.
"When we gave the vote to those who didn't own property, then to women, then to persons of all colors, we added to the richness of our demo- cratic dialogue and our own nation's integrity and its model for the world," he said, calling it time to further extend the vote.
A Republican colleague called it "the nuttiest idea I've ever heard."
Said Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, "There's a reason why 14-year-olds and 16-year-olds don't vote. They are not adults. They are not mature enough. They are easily deceived by political charlatans."
Student supporters said the idea could give them a say in issues such as education funding and bring new voices to a California electorate largely dominated by older Caucasians.
"If we could vote, politicians would see us as votes, not just kids, and they would take our issues seriously," said Robert Reynolds, a student at Berkeley High School.
"We feel that many problems that are created in our commu-nity by the youth, such as vandalism, violence, gangs, to name a few, are direct results of the youth striving to be heard and striving to have a voice, but being unable to share that in a positive way," added Mark Murphy of Santa Rosa, a Montgomery High School student.
Vasconcellos said the reason for not giving teenagers a full vote was strategic.
"If I said 16 full and 14 full, I think it wouldn't have much legs." But he added, "In my heart I think 16-year-olds should be given a full vote."
Co-sponsors of the proposal include Sen. Edward Vincent, D-Inglewood, and Assembly-women Carol Liu, D-South Pasadena, and Sarah Reyes, D-Fresno.
Read the proposed constitutional amendment, SCA19, at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.
National Youth Rights Association:
http://www.youthrights.org.
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*wishes she lived in Cali* lol
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*wishes she lived in Cali* lol
Be careful what you wish for...
And that is just crazy. When I was 14 I had no freakin clue what was going on in the Economic world, I'm just now learning about everything, we should NOT let freakin 14 year olds who are probably Hilary Duff fans vote! That is crazy talk.
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welll.....i'd still like a chance to vote anyway.
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Do you know what is going on Economically? Do your friends know about all the issues? etc. etc.?
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OH yeah... i'm a news freak and stuff and most of my friends are too. my school's really good at making sure we all know what's going on in the world. BUT, you have a point... that's just MY school. there are alot of people my age who don't have a clue.
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i'd say about
10% of all 14 year olds are actually mature enough to vote.
25% 15 year olds
50% 16 year olds
75% 17 year olds
...
whatever, i dont know what im saying.
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That's great that you guys know, but yeah most 14 year olds (and I don't mean to stereotype, my Economics teacher is always teaching us not to do that) don't have a clue what's going on, and I think it'd just be safer if we leave it as it is. Because 18 year olds are just becoming adults, so they are gonna be living in the real world and the votes will have more of an effect on them and all the other adults than younger teens. Just in my opinion...
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I live in California and Don't want to vote, I don't plan on ever voting.
But hey, thats just me.
Manda
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i'd say about
10% of all 14 year olds are actually mature enough to vote.
25% 15 year olds
50% 16 year olds
75% 17 year olds
...
whatever, i dont know what im saying.
i think that's pretty accurate... just because close to those percentages of most -not all- kids those ages actually KNOW what's going on. well as far as i've seen outside my group of friends anyway. alot of people our age just flat out don't care.
(i don't think i know what i'm saying either... this is just what i've seen)
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Do you know what is going on Economically? Do your friends know about all the issues? etc. etc.?
Do you know how easy it is to find all that out? Do you know it doesn't matter how old you are, you still have to teach (and reteach) yourself that?
I would love to vote...and not just for local elections..
Sadly, the majority of my age group doesn't care and/or are not responsible. Though, the ones that aren't interested would more than likely not vote anyway.
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Laura does have a point about the 18 year olds coming into the world thing. 18 years old is when you start having to be responsible and the things going on in the world affect you more! When I was 14... I didnt really care and would probably be a careless voter. I voted for the first time a week ago... and I realized it is very important, because what I say does have an impact on the outcome.
I think it should stay at 18. While there are a lot of responsible and caring 14 year olds... most of them aren't.
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i do agree 14 is a little young...
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Oh great, guess Jason Mraz will be President soon. LOL
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I'll be over 18 long before this goes into effect, dammit!
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Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, proposed the idea alongside three other lawmakers, saying the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society make today's teens better informed than generations of their predecessors.
Yeah right. LOL.
That said, it is an interesting idea if nothing else.
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1/4 votes?! 1/2 votes?! Hell, we had trouble determining whole votes last election, let's PLEASE not make it even tougher by adding fractions into the mix!!!
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I think that because a lot of people are older here- we forget what it was like to be 14, and we did have a general knowledge of the world around us- but i still don't think enough to vote. As i was saying to andrew yesterday, they will vote for the party that:
a) their mummy and daddy vote for.
b) The opposite just to be little pricks.
c) Because that party offers free beer.
What a foolish foolish idea.
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So we can add that to lowering drinking, smoking age, hell lets let anyone drive!
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*wishes she lived in Cali* lol
Be careful what you wish for...
And that is just crazy. When I was 14 I had no freakin clue what was going on in the Economic world, I'm just now learning about everything, we should NOT let freakin 14 year olds who are probably Hilary Duff fans vote! That is crazy talk.
A lot of 14 year olds have a clue as to what is going on. Just because you had no clue doesn't mean there isn't hope for the rest of us. And there are fucking 18 plus year olds who still have no clue.
I,myself,think 14 year+ should be able to vote because most of the 14 year olds I know are mature and know what's going on the world better than some older people...but I mostly just hang around the kids in honors classes because those are the classes I've been in since I was in the 6th grade...so I can't speak for the kids in college and grade level. It's hard to say.
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If you can't get enough support to allow illegal immigrants the right to vote, use children. Next, allow dogs and cats the right to vote since they are classified as family campanions.
tylor
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wow thats cool. i think a lot of older people no offense or anything dont have a clue about what's going on too. just an opinion. i think its a good idea though.. to get it started earlier. i mean when ur 18 its not like ur the smartest people in the world. and its not like everyone of age is equally knowledgable anyways.. it would like be cool..
but then again i'm 14. enough said lol.
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wow thats cool. i think a lot of older people no offense or anything dont have a clue about what's going on too. just an opinion. i think its a good idea though.. to get it started earlier. i mean when ur 18 its not like ur the smartest people in the world. and its not like everyone of age is equally knowledgable anyways.. it would like be cool..
but then again i'm 14. enough said lol.
You're more likely to have an idea of whats going on if you have spent longer being alive, no?Just because some older people have no clue what is going on is not more of a justification to let 14 year olds vote- they may be equally uninformed. Thats a fact i'm afraid and that why 14 year olds shouldn't be allowed to vote. Its just plain stupid.
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ya it probably wont happen because of people being afraid which is perfectly logical but i still think its a good idea. i mean maybe in the future it would be better because i do agree that younger people are more informed than they were before and allowing them to vote may encourage them to learn more but then again it could just be a disaster.