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Monday, Sep. 14, 2020

Do scientists think 16 year-olds are too young to vote?

Allegra Taylor, Gigafact Foundry
no

Young adults possess adequate decision-making skills and political knowledge by age 16 to be entrusted with the right to vote, researchers say.

Decision-making skills under stress don’t fully develop until their 20s, but psychologists say that in “cold cognition” situations that allow for thoughtful decision-making and consultation, 16-year-olds are often as mature as adults. Psychology professor Daniel Hart finds the average 16-year-old has about the same level of political knowledge as the average 18- or 19-year-old. In Austria, where 16-year-olds can vote in all elections, a study of voting choices between younger and older generations found no evidence that voters under 18 made decisions "in any way of lesser quality."

A handful of U.S. cities have opened local elections to ages 16 and up. San Francisco voters are being asked to approve the step in November.

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