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Disenfranchised teens need to vote! NOT!
14-year-olds would rock the vote under this plan
By Ed Fletcher -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Weary of diminishing voter participation in state elections, a group of lawmakers proposed a radical solution Monday: Let Californians as young as 14 cast ballots. (Yes he said 14!) Under a proposed amendment to the state constitution, those age 14 to 17 could vote for state and local offices and measures, but not for anything dealing with the federal government. Ballots cast by 14-and 15-year-olds would count as a quarter of a vote. Votes cast by 16-and 17-year-olds would count as a half a vote.
(This is like out of the 1800s)
"We believe it is time to open the voting franchise to young Californians at the age of 14 and let them register and vote and to be seriously included in the process," said Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, principal author of the proposal.
(Is anyone surprised that a Democrat proposed this?)
Since the national voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 with the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1971, participation in that age group has steadily decreased.
(And why is that?)
Voter participation overall also has been slipping. Vasconcellos said the proposal amounts to meaningful reform that could make lifelong voters out of young people. "People who are engaged early stay on," he said. "Experience is the best teacher." But although most agree that something should be done to improve voter turnout, the solution proposed Monday is far from the consensus answer. "Terminal dumbness," said Curtis Gans, director of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. "All they will do is further depress voter turnout" because it would create a larger pool of eligible voters. Gans said society has to draw the line somewhere, and children don’t have the "judgment or perspective" to be serious voters. There is a big difference, he said, between giving voting rights to people old enough to fight for their country and giving them to young people living at home and working weekend jobs.
(Finally a voice of reason)
It’s unclear, at best, whether the measure’s backers could get the bipartisan, two-thirds support they need to put the amendment on the ballot.
(Don’t be so sure they don’t)
Senate President Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco, was noncommittal, but he said that Vasconcellos was "thinking outside the box."
(and outside our planet)
Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine, the Republican vice chairman of the Senate elections committee, was more direct. "To waste taxpayer money having children cast votes would be ridiculous at any time, but in the face of our current fiscal crisis, it is an obscenity," he said in a statement. But Vasconcellos and the measure’s other authors - Sen. Edward Vincent, D-Inglewood, and Democratic Assemblywomen Sarah Reyes of Fresno and Carol Liu of South Pasadena - envision young people talking politics in school before heading to the polls.
(Fellow politburo members)
Reyes said young people could handle the responsibility. "Many of the young people here are probably more politically savvy than some of the adults who are voting today," said Reyes, referring to a group of young people the lawmakers brought to their news conference. One of them, 16-year-old Thien Vinh Nguyen of C.K. McClatchy High School, said the bill "would ensure that students learn about politics and recognize the importance of voting while still in high school and be in the practice of voting by the time they reach 18." Belno Lange, a social studies teacher at Casa Roble High School in Orangevale, said he could see 16-year-olds voting but isn’t sure about high school freshmen casting ballots. "From my standpoint, I don’t know if 14-and 15-year-olds are looking at those issues and have enough background in order to make a valid decision," Lange said.
(Amen Brother)
Although there have been earlier and ongoing efforts to allow people to cast votes at a younger age - including a current state effort to allow some 17-year-olds with approaching birthdays to vote - experts say they have never heard of an effort to give some citizens less than a full vote. "I’ve heard of lowering the voting age ... and I’ve heard of bringing in young people as poll workers, but that is the first I’ve heard about a fractional vote," said Doug Chapin, director of electionline.org a Web site offering nonpartisan election reform information. "If nothing else, it is good that people are thinking about trying to get more people in the process." Richard Smolka, editor of Election Administration Reports, was more critical. "I don’t know any reason why something like this would lead to lifelong voters," Smolka said.

There were supporters of the effort. "Young people have a lot to contribute," said Veronica De La Garza, Youth Vote Coalition executive director. She said this proposal by itself wouldn’t solve the youth-participation problem, but along with voter education, it could help. Al Fawcett, administrative services officer for the Sacramento County registrar’s office, said the proposed system probably would make elections more costly and complicated. Counties would have to create a way to ensure youth ballots aren’t counted as regular ballots, Fawcett said.
I have kids this age and believe me they are NOT ready to vote for dog catcher let alone Congressman or President. My daughter (14) would vote for anyone that owned or professed an affection for cats. My son (16) would vote for who ever looked ‘coolest’ or could speak intelligently about animae. The bottom line is that the Dems are trying to dredge up some more voters for their dumb ideas. You can’t tell someone who worked his way up the income ladder that he need to pay more taxes so someone else can sit on the a$$ all day. But if you tell a 14-year-old that that ‘evil’ rich guy doesn’t want to share his income with this poor single mom you know how they would vote. When I was young I was VERY liberal. But after working since I was 13 I can’t understand why someone who is 25 can’t get up and go to a job. Finally, the low voter turnout is on the Democrats side and not the Republicans. The Republicans have seen a surge in voter registration and voting, while the Dems are declining in both.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-03-09
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=27744