Children should be able to vote, and we should teach them how to.

Children are unintelligent and impressionable little bastards. Their brains are too immature to process complicated concepts such as voting and politics, and have little to no knowledge about politics. What’s more, they should be in school getting educated and not minding the nationalistic fever running these days. 


If they were given the right to vote in the presidential elections, they will just act like the kids they are and succumb to peer pressure or worse, vote for the person who offers them candy. So should we really let them vote? We should, and here’s why.

Before I make my case, we need to be crystal clear with this: when I say children in this article, I mean teenagers. Minors above the 8^th grade. The appropriate age where they can differentiate between right and wrong. The appropriate age where they have to start taking responsibility. The appropriate age where they technically have to be groomed to become adults, but are not done so because of some mainstream modern myth that your brain will only function like an adult the minute you turn 18.

Children are unintelligent and do not know how to vote.

Teach them. One thing that really ticked me off during my 12 years in Maldivian public schools is, not once did they teach us a thing about voting. I recall them conducting classes which we called Life Skill every now and then since 6^th grade where we tirelessly learned about our menstrual cycle, bullying and sexual predators, the same things every year.

However, the adults seemed very sensitive about uttering the word “politics” in front us because we’re oh-so fragile that we would break if we thought we will be voting one day. What are we educating our children for? What are we preparing our children for? To run the country someday! Are you telling me that our educational system is so flawed that they cannot take 30 minutes from our yearlong schedule to teach us about our fundamental constitutional right we will be given to run the damned country?

Minors below 18 years are unintelligent, and so are some adults! There are some really, really, really stupid adults who clearly should not only be not allowed to vote but also should be kept in a box until the stupidity gene withdraws from their system. Age does not define intelligence or maturity.

Children do not know about politics.

Researching has been taught to us in schools by assigning us projects every now and then, since the 2^nd grade. We’re very familiar with the procedure; surf the internet, read books, ask people, compile the information and form a conclusion. It isn’t that hard. 

Politics isn’t rocket science. Any person who reads or watches the news these days are able to keep up with current state of affairs. Media has progressed so well that we receive news instantaneously through social networks. We’re always being informed. So what’s the big deal?

Are we afraid that between the video gaming and texting friends, the minors somehow are not able to absorb politics? Yes, some children do not pay that much attention to politics. But so does not some adults! I’ve met people above 18 years of age who live in the pop culture world, does not really pay attention to what’s going on with the country, wakes up on Election Day and votes just for the heck of civic duty. How are their votes more valid than a minor who actually does give a damn about politics? Age does not define the degree of awareness!

Children are influenced by peers.

Like I’ve mentioned before, children are impressionable. They are easily subjected to peer-pressure. They will vote for the more popular one, or the prettiest one, or whoever their friends are voting. They lack the ability to be objective and constructive in their decisions. Unless we teach them how to be. Our schools focus more on standardized tests, syllabus of subjects and un-tucked shirts. Morals, character building be damned, we’ve got a unit test this week! And the week after that. And the week after that.  And the week after that. And this continues for the rest of the year.  But that’s a subject for another article.

My point is children are easily influenced because we do not teach them to be objective. Yes, some children are easily influenced. And so are some adults! We’re always being influenced by family, co-workers, friends and the media. And tragically, even some people will sell their votes. How are adults not influenced more than the minors?  We really have to eliminate the double standards here. Age does not define your weakness to be manipulated. 

I believe that children should be able to vote. Children should be taught how to vote. Sooner or later, they will come to run the country and it’s not fair for them to have to fix the country and clean someone else’s mess. I thought we were a democratic country. Or does democracy only apply to citizens above 18 years old?