¨Bernstein suggests that young people should start having the right to vote at the ages of 14 or 12.¨
I´d go 14. That´s high school age most places, and it would add, at most two general elections for each person in most states. It´s also the age when the shift in status in the eyes of the law of a person starts to change to ´adult´ from ´child´. That´s also generally post-puberty, so teens are inclined to fight with their parents. Voting is the most harmless form of adult behavior there is; nothing is going to happen to the kid if they vote the wrong way or screw up their ballot, unlike, say, medical decisions or driving. At 14 they have skin in the game in history/civics classes, which seems like the most important thing if you´re concerned about the lack of civics education. It´s essentially practice voting with real ballots, which beats trying to teach college students the most basic stuff about voting at election time.
You´d need to change the law to allow voting at schools and also a law prohibiting teachers (or just school personnel) from trying to compel their students to vote a certain way.
Younger than 14 you get the situation where voting decisions could turn abusive over political fights; kids are then just a bonus ballot for abusive parents (or possibly abusive churches).
¨I think that’s inadequate. Democrats should be aggressively pushing not just to maintain voting rights, but to expand them.¨
I am squarely with you on that - every post office should be able to dispense and accept ballots.
Noah, hi..... Unbelievably refreshing to hear this from you!
I'd really like to discuss that with you.... I have been on this for awhile and - you know how it goes - most people think it is a ridiculous idea, that they'd vote for candy, video games, etc..... Well, my response always is: look at who votes presently, and what they vote for! It cannot possibly be any more useless or uninformed or absurd (or dangerous!) than many 'adults' positions and political choices! I have had some ideas as to how to start that ball rolling that I'd love to share with you. You could message me on FB if you like: https://www.facebook.com/Metanoia
Fewer than 70 percent of eligible people vote, notwithstanding the myriad ways American states find to hinder voting. Not to mention the persistence of Tuesday voting, despite the historical reasons being long gone.
I think they had a dodgy method when they came up with that figure.
They need to move the election day to Saturday. Anyone who can't vote on the day can vote early at a booth or by mail.
No one is treating Sunday as the day of rest anymore, and no one needs to spend a day traveling by horse and carriage to get to the city to vote. It's nuts that the US makes voting so hard.
there's little evidence that moving the day matters. the big thing to concentrate on is automatic voter registration. the two step voting process discourages a ton of people.
and! some people, like young people and people in DC, are entirely disenfranchised. that's something to look at too.
Plus we have early voting many places. We really really need to have the Senate yeet the anti democracy cudgel that is the filibuster, but Manchin and Sinema really are the tools of the Republicans in this, ugh. Then we can finally enfranchise DC, bigger in population than 2 states, and Puerto Rico, bigger in population than 20 states! We also really need to expand the House, and find a fix for the Senate. Republicans are leaning into all the disproportionate structural advantages that they can, despite being fewer in population. It would also help to have that popular vote electoral compact as a workaround for the electoral college cudgel as well. And also reform the Supreme Court!
We are so close to all these things, and republicans and MAGA types are sure not making it easy to achieve all this. But we must.
From your lips to God’s ears.
¨Bernstein suggests that young people should start having the right to vote at the ages of 14 or 12.¨
I´d go 14. That´s high school age most places, and it would add, at most two general elections for each person in most states. It´s also the age when the shift in status in the eyes of the law of a person starts to change to ´adult´ from ´child´. That´s also generally post-puberty, so teens are inclined to fight with their parents. Voting is the most harmless form of adult behavior there is; nothing is going to happen to the kid if they vote the wrong way or screw up their ballot, unlike, say, medical decisions or driving. At 14 they have skin in the game in history/civics classes, which seems like the most important thing if you´re concerned about the lack of civics education. It´s essentially practice voting with real ballots, which beats trying to teach college students the most basic stuff about voting at election time.
You´d need to change the law to allow voting at schools and also a law prohibiting teachers (or just school personnel) from trying to compel their students to vote a certain way.
Younger than 14 you get the situation where voting decisions could turn abusive over political fights; kids are then just a bonus ballot for abusive parents (or possibly abusive churches).
¨I think that’s inadequate. Democrats should be aggressively pushing not just to maintain voting rights, but to expand them.¨
I am squarely with you on that - every post office should be able to dispense and accept ballots.
elm
kludgy country
Noah, hi..... Unbelievably refreshing to hear this from you!
I'd really like to discuss that with you.... I have been on this for awhile and - you know how it goes - most people think it is a ridiculous idea, that they'd vote for candy, video games, etc..... Well, my response always is: look at who votes presently, and what they vote for! It cannot possibly be any more useless or uninformed or absurd (or dangerous!) than many 'adults' positions and political choices! I have had some ideas as to how to start that ball rolling that I'd love to share with you. You could message me on FB if you like: https://www.facebook.com/Metanoia
Fewer than 70 percent of eligible people vote, notwithstanding the myriad ways American states find to hinder voting. Not to mention the persistence of Tuesday voting, despite the historical reasons being long gone.
yep; I think the figure is for those completely disengaged, who don't follow politics at all.
I doubt tuesday voting matters that much though. having a voting holiday might help, if people were actually let off work.
I think they had a dodgy method when they came up with that figure.
They need to move the election day to Saturday. Anyone who can't vote on the day can vote early at a booth or by mail.
No one is treating Sunday as the day of rest anymore, and no one needs to spend a day traveling by horse and carriage to get to the city to vote. It's nuts that the US makes voting so hard.
there's little evidence that moving the day matters. the big thing to concentrate on is automatic voter registration. the two step voting process discourages a ton of people.
and! some people, like young people and people in DC, are entirely disenfranchised. that's something to look at too.
Plus we have early voting many places. We really really need to have the Senate yeet the anti democracy cudgel that is the filibuster, but Manchin and Sinema really are the tools of the Republicans in this, ugh. Then we can finally enfranchise DC, bigger in population than 2 states, and Puerto Rico, bigger in population than 20 states! We also really need to expand the House, and find a fix for the Senate. Republicans are leaning into all the disproportionate structural advantages that they can, despite being fewer in population. It would also help to have that popular vote electoral compact as a workaround for the electoral college cudgel as well. And also reform the Supreme Court!
We are so close to all these things, and republicans and MAGA types are sure not making it easy to achieve all this. But we must.
Only 10 percent are disengaged, really?