Democracy: Minimum voting age (and for everything else)

Sorry, Tobias, but there has to be some practical way to determine who can vote, enter into legal contracts, consent to sex, drink, drive, carry firearms, gamble, and a whole list of other things. To give every young person this test would be unrealistic, plus some people might be responsible, intelligent and mature enough to vote but not be so for other circumstances. I will freely admit that I ended up learning a lot of life lessons the hard way, and also that I was very naive about a lot of things that I finally learned over time and experience. The good thing is that there are highly intelligent, insightful young people such as yourself that are offsetting the corrupt old farts that have caused so many of the problems around the world. When you get to the legal voting age you and your peers will not be as apathetic as many in my generation have been and be able to make a difference in this world. It's people like you Tobias, that give me hope for the future. Hopefully my generation hasn't screwed it up too badly that your generation can't fix it!
In the meantime whille you're waiting until you can legally vote, there is still a lot that you can do including campaigning and research so that when your time comes you will be more than prepared to make a difference.
Even though I hated history in school I have discovered how important it is in politics. The names and dates aren't necessarily as important as the causes and effects of events and the analysis of these events. History does far too often repeat itself because people simply don't not want to remember the lessons of the past. For example, I will bet good money that analyzing this latest financial crisis and comparing it to the events of 1929 one will find an astounding number of similarities.

Not that this is applicable to voting, but in the UK, there isn't actually an age of responsibility for medical treatment. Rather the NHS has a mental assessment procedure where by staff treating a minor assess whether the individual is mature enough to have a full understanding of their condition and are in full control of their mind, if they are deemed to be so they can be treated without informing the parents, if that is the childs so wish. Basically it allows teenage girls full access to healthcare regardless of their parents beliefs.

Needless to say this is too important an issue to not be given some kind of special consideration.

Don't be so quick to call it Impractical. Trying to set up an entire new city state is more impractical.

Things like voting should be detirmined on mental maturity, things like sexual consent on mental and physical maturity.

Ok Tobias. How mentally mature do you consider yourself? How good are you at managing money? Are you ready to live independently? Do you have a job so you can support yourself? Are you paying rent, buying your own food, paying for insurance? Are you mature enough to handle the responsibilities of driving? How about drinking alcohol, or engaging in a sexual relationship? If you get a girl pregnant, are you able to support a child? With no disrespect intended, what makes you think you can REALLY make an informed political choice based on your limited life experience?
I don't for one second to intend to be condescending, but I know from my own experiences that you have a lot of learning to do. Clearly you're highly intelligent and able to make a more informed decision than many people twice your age, but the life experience of these people helps to balance the equation. I think eighteen is a very reasonable age for voting and as I said before it is a lot better for intelligent people like you than twenty one was. Consider this to be a life lesson in patience!

Er, no disrespect intended, but I'm not exactly allowed to do those things that you listed above. If you mean do I think I could do those things, then the answers yes.

Although I wouldn't get drunk. It's already possible in this cokamanie country I live in for me to get drunk and get a girl pregnant without being charged.

I could live independently if I was allowed, although of course I'd need a job, so I'd need to have left school, which I would have already done if I wasn't artificially limited by this countries education system (something the CSCS would have to deal with).

As I've said, there are people older than me who, well, who are still... babies. Not quite babies, but they act a lot younger than they chronologially are. It's worrying that they will get to vote before I do.

As for life experience... well, I'm 14, so someone who, supposably, is 4 years ahead of me in life experience is allowed to vote.

I've been giving a lot of thought to this, and I think I have a solution, but I'm sure you won't like it, Tobias.  In our CSCS incorporate voting rights in a petition for emancipation.  If a minor wants to vote that badly and can prove to the court that he/she can truly accept the responsibilities of emancipation then, if the court agrees, the minor will have all the rights (as well as voting) but also have all the responsibilities of emancipation.  In my mind that seems fair, but I doubt you will agree with me.  Either way this is my last post on this subject.  Here's a web page for you to review.  http://www.teenparents.org/emancipation.html

Why do you think I'd disagree? That's an excellent solution!

Onlyu a few problems remain: One; accesibility, it has to be accesible (so parents can't get in the way), and Two; schooling, the schooling system would have to be modified to allow people to go at their own pace. Other than that, it's a wonderful idea.

Intersesting site. I'll send it to some of my friends. Pity voting isn't included.

At what age, though, would it be set? I'm against having a set age, because if they aren't old enough to be able to prove to the courts they can handle the responsibility then they wouldn't get through, so no harm done.

My 'suggestion for an election' would get around some of those issues, although a 'mental competency test' would be needed to make you eligible for a vote.