New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
I'll let ThinkProgress' Matthew Yglesias make his entire case here:
Let Children Vote
Via Jonathan Bernstein, Sally Kohn writes about a campaign in Lowell, Massachusetts to let seventeen year-olds vote in local elections. More power to them, but I say let any American citizen vote in any American election he or she wants to.
Objections to this usually take the form of imagining a highly disciplined party of seven year-olds reliably delivering bloc votes to whichever candidate credibly promises endless kindergarten. If you think for five minutes about the practical problems of political organizing, and then for five minutes more about the practical problems of getting kids to do anything I think you’ll see quickly that this is a misguided worry. Realistically, voter turnout in the United States is not particularly high to begin with. Older teens and twentysomethings are already disproportionately unlikely to vote. If we extended the vote to more children, my guess is that relatively few of them would exercise it. But those who did would come from an unusually dedicated and informed sub-set of American teenagers. Meanwhile, if seven year-olds somehow do manage to organize themselves into an effective political lobby, I say more power to them.
While many of his readers completely support the plan, a few others remark "This may be the dumbest idea you have ever come up with" and "Why don't we eliminate age restrictions on holding office too? I'm looking forward to a five year old being elected president."
Indeed. And think of all the perks -- Cotton candy in every pot, monthly trips to Disneyland and chocolate water fountains in the schools. Or maybe we've so succeeded in infantilizing grown men that this isn't such a radical proposal after all.
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Aug '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Having seen adults using their children (or teachers using their students) at demonstrations, extending the vote to children would just mean that the parents get a few extra votes. It's one thing to say that slouchy teens who are already behaving independently probably wouldn't bother to vote. (Or would vote opposite mom and dad.) But the young'uns would just be pawns in whatever political game their parents were playing.
Obviously he's just being absurd, but just in case, I will also insist that he's a mutton-headed doofus.
May '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Justin Bieber would be an upgrade over Romney or Obama. Maybe having children vote isn't such a bad idea.
May '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
I hope he's being absurd, but if not: have we so devalued the right to vote for our representatives that this could be seriously considered? What we need is more voters who take the responsibility seriously by educating themselves about the issues and candidates before going to vote, not "inclusive" schemes which only serve to further devalue the enterprise.
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
DrewInWisconsin
Obviously he's just being absurd, but just in case, I will also insist that he's a mutton-headed doofus. · Oct 31 at 6:50am
I suppose that's possible but we're talking about ThinkProgress and Matthew Yglesias. This isn't even the most ridiculous idea of theirs this week. I think they really believe this stuff. That they're taken seriously is what's absurd.
Jun '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
And here I was going in the exact opposite direction. It seems that the vast majority of college-aged "kids" and twenty-somethings still dress up for Halloween, desperate to extend their childhood for as long as possible. I was thinking we should raise the voting age to about 30 or so. And perhaps even then ask whether the voter applicant still dresses up to trick or treat.
Dec '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Conservatives tend to have more children than liberals. Conservatives are also skilled at organizing youth groups through churches, schools, Scouting and the like. Yglesias is lazier in his thinking than his hypothetical lazy youth in their voting.
Aug '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
But what conservatives have working against them is the public education system, which has become little more than a means of leftist indoctrination.
Dec '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Or maybe we've so succeeded in infantilizing grown men that this isn't such a radical proposal after all. ·
Take that back or I'm going to hold my breath ;-)
Oct '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
The Dumbest idea ever ... validate one of my teachers sayings : Never underestimate the potential of human stupidity.
May '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Or maybe we've so succeeded in infantilizing grown men that this isn't such a radical proposal after all. ·
What a sexist remark. I'm calling the PC Police. You're busted. LOL!
But, in all seriousness, we have succeeded in infantilizing a seemingly great proportion of our entire population. As an ex-Nutmegger, all I can do is shake my head in sadness. The Occupy movement is a perfect example of this, too.
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Grantman
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Or maybe we've so succeeded in infantilizing grown men that this isn't such a radical proposal after all. ·
What a sexist remark. I'm calling the PC Police. You're busted. LOL!
But, in all seriousness, we have succeeded in infantilizing a seemingly great proportion of our entire population. As an ex-Nutmegger, all I can do is shake my head in sadness. The Occupy movement is a perfect example of this, too. · Oct 31 at 7:51am
Well, to add to my sexism, it's not that I don't think women have been infantilized as well. Just that it's an even sadder situation that it's happened with so many men. I was at a French electro-pop concert on Friday night with my husband and looked around and noticed how unmanly so many of the concert goers were. Now, it was an all ages show and it was, as I said, French electro-pop. But still. I hope that my daughters have actual men to date when they get to that age. Perhaps I'm on the wrong thread.
Dec '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
What could go wrong....? (snicker) I'm seeing a replay of "Lord of the Flies"
Oct '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Or the results could be super groovy guys!
Aug '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Following along the lines of N.M. Wiedemer and keeping it groovy. I'd like to recommend that we make it Fourteen or Fight!
Jun '10
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
On the same theme. Tom Sowell often says, "Some ideas are so dumb only an intellectual would believe them."
Apr '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Um. What?!
Mollie, this might need its own thread.
Feb '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
It's almost hard to believe that anyone could be that stupid! Just go out into the public world for a bit, and see and hear the youth of today. Yes, I'm an oldtimer, but darn, I really hate to see this once great Country heading done its present path. What the heck went wrong?
May '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Charlotte
Um. What?!
Mollie, this might need its own thread. · Oct 31 at 11:22am
Does French electro-pop sound anything like Debussy with a mind pounding beat?
Sep '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
I can think of why one important political constituency would like the voting age lowered to 17: the teachers unions.
Look at any school strike--the students invariably side with the teachers, since they know good ol' Mr. Summersoff, and don't have a clue about paying property taxes (and have never heard the words "unfunded pension liability").
Not every political move is made with the presidential election in mind--teachers unions are extremely keen to get members, and sympathizers, on the local school board. Giving the vote to high school seniors would create a solid block of votes for the next round of school board elections.
Which would be a really, really bad thing.
Mar '11
Re: New Liberal Idea: Enfranchise Toddlers
Mollie Hemingway, Ed.
Too late. We have that already.
Oh, they meant a chronological five year old. Never mind - my bad.