Should voting start from birth?
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Clémentine is a writer and academic who studies democracy, childhood and political participation. In this video, she shares an interesting idea: that people should be given the right to vote from birth, even if they don’t use it straight away.
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Based on what Clémentine said, do you agree that people should have the right to vote from birth?
You might want to structure your answer like this:
I agree / disagree with Clémentine’s idea because [your reason, using something she said in the video]. One reason for my view is [an example, such as fairness, representation or decision-making]. However, others might argue that [an alternative view, such as voting requiring maturity or experience].
Make sure you read the comments from other Topical Talkers and respond to someone whose opinion is different from yours.
Comments (55)
I partly disagree with Clémentine’s idea. While she said in the video that children have an expertise in being children that adults don't have, I think giving everyone the right to vote from birth would be a huge mess. One reason for this is that very little children might only vote for what is fun for them right now, instead of what is actually good for their future or the country.
However, as a solution so that tiny kids don't vote we could start the voting age at 15. At this age, you aren't an adult yet but you aren't too young to understand what is happening. Others might argue that all children should vote from birth because we are all humans and age shouldn't matter.
In conclusion, I think it is better to start the voting age in the middle years ( middle adolescence ) between 15 and 17. This way , we get to use our childhood expertise to help the country but we are old enough to make a responsible choice.
Thanks for reading 🤗
I disagree with you. Young People should have a bigger say in the news. People assume that young people or children are clueless and don't have lots of maturity. But that's just assuming. I think that the voting age should be lowered to 11 years old. In the UK, 11 years old is Year 6, the final year of primary School. Some children walk home by themselves, showing a bit of independence. I don't agree on an age below 10. If a 5 year old could vote, they would just scribble on the page or vote for everyone, making the voting unfair and confusing. Also, children can fall for politicians tricks and deceiving lies. If a new rule is placed for every age, it could go two ways. First, the politicians may not care about the rule and focus on the adults. There is a significant difference between adult population and child population. Over 79% of the population is adults according to my research. 20% of the population are children according to searches. Secondly, it could focus on the children to trick them into voting for the trickster. in conclusion, I believe that children can vote if they are mature enough
I disagree because allowing children to vote from being an infant would result in huge setbacks children have bigger things to focus on and should be more grounded to those things yes they have the opportunity to act as adults but in the end we would just end up with more broken individuals in society allowing a child to experience the life an adult could result in trauma issues constant worrying thinking strategizing it won't just turn out well.
AT FIRST,
Voting requires a lot of qualification. It's not a child's play; it requires the knowledge and experience of an individual.
So now, if I may ask, how will a child who was just given birth a while ago, without any information of whom he or her is, cast a vote for a leader, this isn't possible rather at times parents makes choice for their babies as a responsibility till they grow better in the things of the world.
voting cannot be encouraged from birth because of its negative aspects and remember that instead of eradicating the illegal voting to help build young people, they are rather forced to engage in fighting for their right early enough in order to reduce the world's rate and population of humanity in the world and society at large.
I would encourage that such policy should not be enforced reasons being that:
1) One ability to vote requires his/her conscience and knowledge on voting tips and the ability to make right choice without manipulation or being forced to.
2) In countries like Nigeria, it shows that little born would also start destroying the country because the adult who have voted ended up being ruled by the unselected leader who has bribed to get to such position.
3) If voting should be from birth, it also means that the babies can also be voted for as franchise demands.
I would encourage that voting should rather be mandatory when all required necessities are available to does who wish to take part in order to pay references to political apathy because i believe that everything that has an advantage also has its own disadvantage.
honorable_attitude you have shared some interesting ideas about mandatory voting. Do you think this requirement would be easy to enforce?
I agree because......
As children, adults are older and children voting means they are adults (which they aren't) because children are less qualified and few children know a lot about politics. And also, children might mostly vote for people they are not certain about because children don't know about politics.
Also, children are naive and can be easily manipulated by parents, social media, guardians, friends and others into voting for who they don't even know about. For example, in Nigeria people (not to talk of children) have been manipulated by fake promises into voting for leaders.
Also, as of recent Nigeria has a rough estimate of more than 10 million children which will bring many more votes, longer range of counting in of counting ballot. In the world children make about 30% of the world's population which would bring many changes to government and also new laws and regulation
If children start to vote it would also lead to people clamoring for more changes e.g. children driving cars, buying goods, also might lead to taking of drugs, marriage at a young age, and maybe children running for positions in government. Which would bring big changes to world politics as children are not mature enough to understand politics and make major decisions
I agree with you.
Children should not be lead into voting at birth, reasons why they should not be;
1) Young people have scarce life experience such as understanding how government policies affect individuals.
2) Disordering of Electoral Dynamics
3) Sensitive to Manipulation: Young ones won't think for themselves but impersonate the voices of the views or crowd.
4) Lack of cognitive and logical maturity.
So it is better we wait for the young ones to be more advanced and have full developed knowledge on government policies.
Thanks for sharing your thinking on this topic. You make an interesting point that in Nigeria people have been manipulated by fake promises to vote for certain leaders. Can you say why you therefore think that children are naive and can be easily manipulated? How is this different to adults being manipulated?
I agree because if a newly born baby has the right to vote they would not even understand what you're talking about and would end up not voting anyone.
Another reason why I agree is because when a baby is born, they do not have the wisdom to understand what you're saying or interpret it. And to say the truth, voting is only for the civic and responsible people. Newborns lack mental development, awareness, and agency. Allowing them to vote would not expand democracy.
I agree with you because children don't have the qualification , or permission to vote .For example if there were two candidates Mr. A and Mr. B a child would not have the experience , or the knowledge to vote for the right person if the two candidates were competing for a Presidential election and Mr. A want's that position for his selfish reason and Mr. B want's to help the nation, that child won't know who to vote for. A child is not an individual that has enough experience to vote for the right candidate.
There are three (3) reasons why I think children should not vote:
1)Lack of experience.
2)Not emotional balanced
3) Not psychologically balanced
In conclusion, I think children should not be allowed to vote because they have not come to the age of consciousness.
I Agree with you because the children or babies don't have an idea of the person they are voting for ,and then the person can use sweet,delicious things and calm words to bribe the child to vote for he /she so if the vote the candidate will be able to lead positively or negatively to acheive what they need or want if you want to vote, you need to have enough and good qualifications. But is not proper for a small child to vote at a very young because he /she is not mature enough to make the right choice.
Can you say why you think why bribes are more likely to influence children to make a specific choice (as opposed to adults)?
You have a solid point, but if you paid close attention to what she said she actually mentioned that voting should not necessarily begin immediately after birth, rather she made mentioned that the child can start at any age when he/she has the intellect and skills. However, you seem to forget that children too have a voice, and their voices should be heard meaning that they should be given the right to vote form birth. Also, with all due respect if I may ask what negative effects do you think voting from birth may cause to a nation?
However, to conclude many may disagree with my opinion that voting should start from birth due to the fact that each of us here on the hub have different views, beliefs and opinions. Thank You.
Thanks for making this point. What kind of intellect and skills do you think a child should be equipped with in order to vote?
Well, from my perspective I feel like the child should have a understanding of his/her environment to later come to a conclusion one if a specific candidate can take care of the environment. A child should not just vote haphazardly based on influence form peer groups and many others, but look at factors that may affect the society. Thank You.
Hello, Clementine has a very solid point. I agree with her because, as she said, children have their own general perception of the world around them, and the leaders chosen by adults will have an impart of their future, one way or the other, directly or indirectly. They have some experiences and ideas about people that adults tend to overlook, for example, children in schools experience bullying, heavy homework, have to handle pressure, like during exams, and more factors that change their lives. If you are looking at the educational sector, one might be like, they do not even have the civic knowldege to do so, partially fair, but that is why people are taught on their rights, responsibilities, and there really is nothing to learn to vote, as much as one thinks anyway. Voting could even teach them a sense of responsibility and passion.
As for the people questioning, all talk, but what if they are lured by older ones to vote for someone in particular, unfair democracy, right? but that is where my honest opinion steps in. She says right to vote should be there from birth, but really, I think that is too much of a step to take, I think maybe the range should start from age 12 or 13.
If you question my point, kindly explain so!
Thanks for sharing your views jolly_woodpecker. How do you think schools could best prepare children (12+ years old) to vote independently and fairly?
Okay, that is where I indicated Civic and Political Studies should be taught in schools in a more of a practical and theoretical way, by maybe learning how government works, why we vote, how to properly vote, and defend their rights, to let young minds know why voting matters, and why we vote. Schools could also focus on media literacy, and a knack to defend their rights, both publicly and as individuals, to be able to spot fake news from the rest, further improve world knowledge as a bonus, and generally be able to participate in political activities. What do you think!
Hello, Jolly_woodpecker.
You surely have a point, but voting should not start from the age of 12 or 13.
It should start from the age of 16 , because by then younger ones minds are more developed and opened to understand more about politics and what more it has to do then just voting. By the age of 16 younger ones are meant to know about consistency with other rights , duties , obligations and responsibility.
Starting voting from the age of 12 or 13 is good, but not good at the same time. Stretching the minds of the young ones is very well good and important, but they should also focus more about knowing more about politics not just voting.
There are key things young ones need to know about in voting then just voting just like that , these are some key points ; political equality, rule of law and universal suffrage and these are the key points younger ones need to know more about.
And I doubt if by that age they are able to understand those key points in voting, because they need major understanding.
@lively_philosophy thanks for your points. Can you say more about political equality, rule of law and universal suffrage. Do you think all adults understand these concepts? And how do you think this influences the way they vote?
Voting should not start from birth because children will not the behaviour of the person he/she is voting for. They should be given small time to observe the politicians first before going to vote. So I strongly disagree that children should not be allowed to vote from birth.
If u listened closely Clementine also mentioned that they can start whenever they want once they have the knowledge and intellect about their surroundings.
I agree with clementine's idea because children's voices are the important of all because children need to speak up for them self's be if is only adults which are aged from 18 and above it may not be fair because things that kids have in mind is not what others may have in mind because children are inspiring and they will know the difference between good and evil so children need to vote and they have the right to do what they suppose to do because it wont be fair at all and they really have the right thanks .
HI topical talkers, I will disagree to a point that voting should start from birth, due to the following reasons of mine
For example I will use my country Nigeria as a case study. In Nigeria before you are eligible to vote you must be 18 years and above, and I think that that is a good decision to some point. in some cases why it is good to vote at 18 is the people who are voting will have more sense of voting because they might have attended their formal education or probably be influenced by their family members. IN CONCLUSION: If voting should start from birth the people voting will not have any sense of voting they will only be doing what their parents are doing or be influenced by the world. It is 90% impossible for a kid who don't know anything about election disobey his or her parents. that is what I think.
I agree with clementine's idea because children's voices are the important of all because children need to speak up for themselves be if is only adults which are aged from 18 and above it may not be fair because things that kids have in mind is not what others may have in mind because children are inspiring and they will know the difference between good and evil so children need to vote and they have the right to do what they suppose to do because it wont be fair at all and they really have the right thanks .
I disagree with what clementine said because, children are still children. And at that stage of their life they are being developed physically, mentally and socially. It is assumed that as a child or teen, you have are not mature enough to understand and comprehend the situation and just because some are mature enough, that does not give room to generalise that all are. A child who is learning how to walk or a teen who believes everything they see cannot be given the responsibility of choosing leaders whose action can build or destroy a nation. One should have reached the age where it can be said that they have been mentally developed, cannot be easily pressured or be deceived by what they see or hear and can make decisions based on life experience. Yes only a child of today can understand what it means be to be a child, but it does not prove that the child knows how to handle the stage of life they are in, that is why parents or guardians are in a child`s life. If we are to allow this, then that means there is no reason why a child cannot be allowed to participate in adult activities like jury service, holding public office, driving, etc.
I agree with Clementine's idea because if we want democracy, we must ask every single person because every single person will be affected by the new leader and if some people say that young children and people don't have the skills needed but some adults also don't have these skills as Clementine said in the video. One reason for my view is representation as no one can understand and represent us except us. Our generations (gen z, gen alpha, gen alpha beta) understand each other's, and no one understand us and all of us are not able to vote so no one represent us so starting from birth we should vote. I actually see differentiation between us and adults as ageism. However, others might argue that we shouldn't be able to vote because they must be able to think deeply and become adults, but we are able to do that just as you adults and one of the biggest pieces of evidence is Topical Talk.
I agree with Clémentine's idea, because politics affects everything around us in some way, and if everyone is affected by politics, it's common sense that every one should have a say in politics. I found your comment really interesting prodigious_moon, although I'm not sure I agree with your point that younger children might not think about the long term impacts when choosing who to vote for, I actually think that because children are the future of our planet, we will think more about the future when making decisions, because we know it affects us, which is something many governments have seemingly failed to do when responding to issues such as climate change. I agree with Clémentine's point that "its completely illogical that we're preventing children and young adults from voting because of a supposed lack of skill, but we're not even making sure that those skills exist in the adult population, and that's not fair." I think if someone is mature enough to show an interest in politics and want to vote, they are mature enough to make their own decisions about who to vote for, no matter their age.
You make a great point about present generations making decisions that will impact future generations with the example of climate change.
I am currently in a dilemma of whether I agree or disagree with Clèmentine as I am convinced that both opinions have their own advantages and disadvantages, so I would like to share what I have understood concerning both beliefs.
Firstly, I agree that children should have their say from when they were born because children are just so pure, they know how to express what they feel about a certain topic which makes their voices very sincere. If children were educated about political topics in schools and academic institutions in a fun and easy way in order for them to really visualize the real image, they would perhaps get interested in those topics and have the freedom and will to vote. Honestly, I think that children's votes could be more sincere than adults would because some adults might not want to vote their true - intuitive opinion.
However , I disagree that children should have access in participation because they might not understand what is really required from them or they might think it is just a game of some sort, not a significant decision. Also, many children especially above 5 years old have their minds literally invaded by false information online or, most commonly, they are deeply affected by their parents' or what their community thinks. Furthermore, Their opinions , thoughts and beliefs and even whole identity in that specific age are just formed from what they hear their parents say and believe, so they couldn't really generate their own unique opinions.
Thank you for sharing your dilemma with us in your post. You say that young children are more likely to be influenced above the age of five years by their parents and community. So, do you not think that children are able to form their own unique opinions?
I totally would agree with your second point. And would love to add that children can easily be influenced by their parents. A parent could make the child see reasons to vote a candidate of their (the parents') choice. And in a world where we talk about obedience to parents or elders, a child would definitely want to honour his or her parents.
I see this happen with majority of the families and this would greatly affect the outcome of the election.
I don’t think voting should start from birth because it will give adults an unfair advantage ,like if you have a lot of children they won’t know who to vote for .So the parents will tell them who to vote for giving one political party an unfair advantage .it is also make some parents start to manipulate their child if their child wants to vote a different party than them.
I disagree with Clementine's idea because when you are a child then you don't particulary understand politics.
In my opinion ,i believe that people have rights to vote for many things to make our life better.But isnt letting small kids to vote a bit risky?I mean,many people must experience somethings to understand its meaning,which makes us the person we are today,but the little kids might cant understand fully about what they are voting an if it really benefit us.So i believe voting for something needs experience and maturity,which are two important things that little kids dont have.
Can you explain what the risks would be of letting small children vote?
well,for example maybe small kids cant understand clearly how to vote and on what they are voting and they might vote to the side which is not what they needed and what r advantageous for them.Instead,it might be sth dangerous/bad for them.
I would love to shout a big YES!!!, I strongly agree with her idea, you must be wondering why i said so, well I got an answer just for you. In my school I was thought as a student on human right and we have so many and in those fundamental human rights the right to vote and be voted for is among these rights, why I branched to the fundamental human rights is because voting is a right and the children can not be deprived of their rights because the only thing that can intervein is the military, so depriving the children of their right to vote would be an abuse or would go against their rights. that's the reason I supported her on the motion.
I very much agree to the fact that a child is the only person that currently has the full experience of being a child, and they have full understanding of what does or does not affect a child in the modern day world. But I disagree that voting should literally start from birth, there could be a lot of issues if this were the case, for example, children could choose who has the better face for president without looking at the person's inner character.
There could be a lot of ammendings to this idea, like for example, out of my ideas, if we were to go with this, the minimum age could be from 10 and there should be like a test to determine those who are mentally and morally fit for the criticism and judgments that come would come with being a child in an election.
Hi energetic_maths, interesting point! Research has shown that adult voters today are influenced by a candidate's looks (see here: https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/landwehr-candidate-facial-features-influence-voters). Do you think there are risks with children voting that don't already exist with adult voters?
I see your point but the truth is that all are prone to mistakes, but children (psycologically speaking) are prone to make more decisions without looking to the nearer future. And one very big risk, as you asked, that exists in children voting that doesn't already exist with the adults (as much) is the pressure of criticism and judgement. Your question should already be answered if you were following attentively to my last report "the criticism and judgments that come would come with being a child in an election". However, I am not implying that there is no criticism to the adult, but that kind of stress on a child less than 13 could severely damage him/her mentally.
I totally disagree with Clementine's idea because you will not expect babies who were just born and know how to do nothing on their own to begin to cast their vote, it's just the same as adults voting because it will still be the adults that will help the babies cast their vote. babies and kids at a very young age do not really have a say on their own rather that doing or voting for who their parent want them to vote for. Some children might even see as a fun game or a Childs play and that will not improve our economy. Babies know nothing about elections let alone voting so they should be given time to grow, understand the world and the economy, that way citizens would be able to decide on their own on who they want our leaders to be. if voting is to be allowed from birth that means the babies can also be voted for from birth.
I agree with Clementine's idea because of the statement she made about the younger ones being affected by voting. This I think is correct and should therefore be a reason for the younger ones to vote. Even though we may not be experienced, we should at least learn how to make decisions that affect us and others by ourselves. On first thought, I didn't see this topic as an important one, but on second thought votign form birth should be allowed for us to make decisions that we know affect our lives.
Others may think that we may easily be influenced by older ones, but this is why this type of voting should be optional for the child to either vote or not based on his or her own perspective.
I disagree with Clementine on her notion that voting should start from birth. I don't see how knowing what it means to be a child currently will help you to be able to pick the correct leader for your country. This means that children are not able to make a decision of such magnitude and understand the importance of what they're doing.
But this doesn't mean adults cannot make the same mistake.
With that been said, I think the best solution is to assess the electorate to be sure that they are capable of making the correct decision. If this can be done, then giving younger children the right of franchise can be feasible because the assessment would show if they can be trusted to vote.
Even at that, I feel that the assessment should only be for children of 13 years old up
Well, I strongly agree to what Clementine said in the video. Adults don't have the expertise on what it is like on being a child today. In my own perspective I feel like what she means is adults aren't in the mind of a child, therefore not knowing the capabilities of that child. I feel like the reason people under 18 aren't allowed to vote in some place is because the government think that young people like us don't have the intellect to reason and understand politics. Whereas, there there are youths under 16 who have already graduated from universities. Wow ! Crazy isn't it? The government actually need to understand that children too have a voice and can make decision too especially when it comes to voting.
However, I would like to also male emphasis what she said in the video that the government too don't also make sure the adults that are voting have the skills and reasoning to vote. I mean the government can't allow a legally insane person to vote, can they? Well, with that being said I feel like in my opinion children should actually have a range for them to start voting maybe from let's say 12-14 . Thank You.
I partially agree with clementine's idea because, as she says, voting should be a right you have, not something you earn by reaching a certain age. children are affected with political decisions like climate change and education , so it seems fair that they are represented in democracy too.
However, I understand why another topical talker argues that voting requires maturity and experience, and that parents voting for children could be unfair. Even so, I think clementine's idea is useful because it challenges us to think about whether democracy truly includes everyone it affects.
Hello, at first it sounded very crazy as the topic said”People should vote at birth!” But as Clementine explained a little more, yes, I in fact agree with Clementine's idea. One reason I agree with Clementine is that she said some people argue that children do not have the qualifications to vote. Clementine stated that adults do not need any qualification to vote, so children should have the right to vote, too..One reason for my view is for example:An adult over the age of 18 wanted to vote for a new government,or anything else in that nature,so she thought”Oh if I want to vote, I need to qualify for it.” So when she got to the voting station she said”Do I need to qualify?” The employee said”No ma’am,you do not have to qualify.” Then she got to the computer and started voting without any qualification. So we wouldn’t know how much knowledge the eighteen year old or older really has on the topic they are voting for. So Clementine has a solid point that kids should be able to vote!
Thanks @daring_hippopotamus - I like your example. You state that you agree with Clementine's point on being qualified to vote. Are there any other points that Clementine makes that you agree with?
I do not agree with Clementine, but I do understand that nobody knows who knows about politics and who doesn't. It is very unlikely that a 4 year old knows politics more than a 60 year old that has experience with voting. The 60 year old also has experienced the past presidents which makes it easier to tell which politicians might make a great leader and which ones would not. The parents can also use their kid to vote for the same candidate to act as a plus one, this will also make parents have more babies to get more votes for their favorite candidate.
I disagree with Clementine's idea because while children do have the expertise on what it is to be like a child today, we also need to acknowledge that some of these children are still learning how the world operates and that some of them do not even know how politics works. Of course, this correlates to Clementine's words about whether you want to vote of not and I have a simple response for it. Imagine if all children in the UK wanted to vote. It would cause an utterly chaotic mess as there are also the adults that are choosing to vote. It would just be impractical for the government to organize such a gigantic event. Another reason for my disagreement is that it is already fair that children under the age of 18 don't get to vote because children should learn how to build their own opinions and not build them around what their parents or carers tell them to. However, other might argue that my statement is wrong because there are children with a different level of maturity and understand how politics works, arguing that the denial of their accessibility on the ability to vote to be unfair.
@freespirited_weaver - you write that it is "already fair that children under the age of 18 don't get to vote because children should learn how to build their own opinions". Can you say why 18 is the correct age in your view?
I agree with Clémentine's idea because every person regardless of their age (to a limit) should have a right to influence their decisions. I, however, do not believe the actual children should the be the ones doing the voting. I believe that while you are under the legal age for voting, a guardian should be the one to represent you (obviously, you need the child's consent to verify if it's real or if the parent is just choosing on behalf of their child without their knowledge). Additionally, I believe that voting should only start when a human is aware of their surroundings enough to be able to choose. Is this a very hard thing to subjectively define? Yes. But the law is filled with vague statements which need to be interpreted based on certain very ambiguous factors (i.e. the difference between manslaughter and murder or the different tiers of murder, first, second, third). I believe this because as Clémentine said: voting doesn't even check if you're sane or mentally aware, so, if a child is perfectly aware then they have the right to choose decisions which will impact their futures. Especially since these decisions impact children the most.
However, others might argue that voting requires a certain level of maturity and direct engagement with the world which young children do not posses but yet, again, a 20-year-old could be living in his parent's house, having not worked a job and not went to college and still vote. That's why I believe we need to either set other limitations outside of age OR just let everybody who is considered aware of their surroundings vote.
In my own decision i partially disagree with Clementine's decision because how can a baby just been born a few days a go have the mind and vote because they don't know who they are so how would they even know who a president is .
I disagree with Clémentine's idea, because children always want to be part of adults lives just to feel that they belong and that they are capable of greater things than just playing with their toys. For example, little girls wish to use their mothers make up, while boys dream of growing a beard, just to shave it like their fathers do. I think kids want to be mature, but they don't actually understand what it means. In addition to that, little ones crave attention and validation, meaning they could vote whoever their parents choose in order to please them. Also, there has to be an age limit, given preschoolers can't read and wouldn't know where to put the stamp. They would require a legal guardian helping them out, so once again it would be the parents decision, not theirs. That would mean that people who have children could get to vote more than just one time, while the rest would only be able to vote once, for themselves. I believe this would cause a huge imbalance and it would unfair. I stand for equality and this would be the opposite of that.
However, others might argue that the voting age can't automatically grant anyone the knowledge needed to make such an important decision. For example, an 18 year old may have lived a life where worrying about the economical state of the country just wasn't needed, while a 16 year old could have a better understanding of that. Still, I don't think lowering the voting age is the best idea, because it would mean giving way to many unprepared people the option to making such a crucial decisions.
I support Clementine's opinion that people should have the right to vote from birth. Children are naturally good at copying others,especially their parents. Because of this,children will follow their parents when choosing who to vote for. Since parents usually vote for the most suitable candidate for the country, their children will also choose the same.
This system would allow everyone to enjoy their basic rights as citizens. In many cases, street children are deprived of their basic and fair rights. If they were given the right to vote from birth, their needs would be taken more seriously. Governments would have to care about their education, food, and safety. As a result the country would develop, and children would no longer die from hunger.
What might be some disadvantages of children voting only for the same candidates as their parents?
Can you say why you think that parents usually vote for the most suitable candidate for the country?
i highly disagree with clemente`s idea due to giving newborn babies the right to vote is a bad idea because one reason is the newborn might vote a bad influence like a bad president another reason is they would not know if they could vote or not so its a waste of time giving newborn babies a voting its only good if they knew about it. another point is the parents would force the newborn to vote what they are voting so it would not even matter if they could vote or not because it would get taken away by their parents.i could see why people would disagree with my comment due to most parents not being forcing towards their children.however it is my opinion after all let me know what you think
Goodbye,Topical Talkers
No, because when you are a child your Brain is not fully grew and you mights just choose someone random whilst when your older you know more information so I think no
I disagree with my friend's idea because there should be an age limit since people below 18 doesn’t know what is going on so they might just use social media or people below 12 will follow what their role model does.
I disagree because 6 years old people don’t have a clue what to do to meanwhile 18+ people know what to do
I disagree because if young children were to be part of an election they would just vote for what’s fun for them now but later they would realise the big mistake they made. Some children are really independent but it would be a mess to allow them to vote they would get stressed and confused at the same time. It’s not just for a child’s play as an election is something big. They would vote for what’s fun for them not what would be good for the country. So as a conclusion children should NOT join the election
I disagree with Clémentine’s idea because voting from birth they wouldn't know anything bad or good about a president and they probably will vote for the wrong person. Giving newborn babies the right to vote is a bad idea because the newborn might vote a bad influence like a bad president. The parents would force the newborn to vote what they are voting so it would be unfair. Babies know nothing about elections let alone voting so they should be given time to grow, understand the world and the economy, that way citizens would be able to decide on their own on who they want our leaders to be.
I strongly disagree with Clémentine’s idea, i think that giving children the right to vote is a good idea, they are over two billion children in the world(below 18) and if voting was allowed for kids, their vote would count a lot given the fact that they are children they lack no political sense and they dont even know what is happening in the country.
Moreover children are the most easiest to manipulate and they would most likely believe whatever you tell them, and imagine the impact it will be on politics if a large amount of children are deceived into voting the wrong leader.
I personally think that we should leave the voting age at 18.
I agree with clementine because children are affected by political decisions even if they cannot vote. Giving the right to vote from birth is fair and makes sure everyone has a voice. Some might say voting needs maturity, but if decisions affect kids too, shouldn't they get a say in their future?
I disagree with Clémentine’s idea because i think that children if should be given the opportunity would vote someone that wouldn't lead well, because of their small and undeveloped minds children would choose what they think is right, not what is right.
There are over 2 billion children (under 18 years) in the world, imagine if all those children choose a leader with that their undeveloped and unmatured minds, Do you think that they will pick someone that will lead well, considering the fact that they are political and mentally immature? Imagine the effect of their voting considering their size in number .
Let us take America for instance their are over 324 million people in America of which 74 million are children, imagine the political impact of their voting if they are to choose a leader to lead.
Thanks for sharing this point @eloquent_duck. What do you think might be the political impact of their voting if children were able to vote for a leader?
I disagree that children should be able to vote from birth because children and babies alike are childish and their parents could influence them or bribe them with something they like to vote for a specific person and also they might be mislead on the internet by celebrities and others on the internet saying things about the candidates causing them to vote for others and just in general causing an imbalance because of the influences of hundreds of things so I think when the kids are younger than 16 they shouldn't be able to vote because they easily get manipulated.
I disagree with Clémentine's idea because children might be manipulated by others in order to get political success which could be quite dangerous for them. Besides, I don't think kids are ready for voting because for the majority it won't be interesting so they won't investigate about it which will lead to misinformed voting.
Firstly, children might be manipulated by their parents, and it may be involuntary, but in the end they are their referent and they will tend to think in the same way because they haven't go through the adolescence that's when that usually changes. In addition, political parties may try to use them, as is easier than with an adult and they won't be able to recognize lies as good.
Secondly, they aren't ready for voting because for that you need to know your values and personality and in that stage of life it's still forming. Furthermore, I don't think they will know what politics are about or want to know mainly because there are more fun activities to do in your childhood, so they won't have the information needed to vote.
In conclusion, I strongly believe children shouldn't vote because they are not prepared for it and they should be focusing on developing themselves and having a great childhood being free of these kind of responsibilities. I believe they should have the time to grow and be educated to participate properly in elections.
I completely agree with Clémentine's idea. Because I think governments need to think more about future generations when making decisions. Many governments haven't done nearly enough to combat climate change, because they think that ignoring this issue will make a few people rich now, but they're not thinking about the impact this will have on people in the future: on our generation, and the generations that follow. Children are deeply affected by the decisions governments make, and if we are the most affected by the outcome, why don't we have a say? Some people might think that younger children wouldn't be able to make good decisions, that they might be more easily influenced, they might not think about the bigger picture, or the long term impacts, but I actually think that younger voters would think more carefully about the future, because we are the future, and the decisions made today will impact our lives. I agree fully with Clémentine's point that it's illogical to assume children don't have the skills to vote, but not even make sure adults possess these skills. I think children would make mature and informed decisions if given the chance. I think that if someone is interested enough in politics to want to take part in elections, then they would be able to make a good decision; and I think that in a fair society, anyone who is affected by a decision should have a voice.
I disagree with Clementine's idea because voting in the elections from birth does not make sense. Children from the age of birth until the age of 6 are still experiencing their childhoods, (playing and laughing). They do not understand how to vote or who to vote and even they do not know what elections are. How can someone take an action without knowing what to do. It is like swimming without knowing how to swim. If you asked a baby to put his hand in fire, he would put it immediately. Children need first to learn walking and talking before participating in the elections. If children voted in the elections, they would vote depending on how funny the candidate is or about their appearances. They are not conscience. Children can vote relying on their parents' point of view and this can make them independent for their whole life.
I believe that the best staring age for voting in the elections in from 12 to 13 since in this period of time (adolescence), the brain becomes active and engaged to politics and their brains are now fully grown. Making young people (12 to 17) vote in the elections will makes them more responsible and increase their civic (participating in the community and society). This will add also more creative perspectives and ideas to the elections.
To conclude, the elections are a great concept in our life, so it needs research and hearing the candidates' perspectives to vote accurately but children cannot do these actions because their brain is still growing.
I totally disagree with Clementine's idea. I believe that children don't have a completed opinion about politics. Also they are influenced more easily. The future of the whole country depends on who you vote so you have to be mature .
I think I disagree because I believe as a child that over some cases I am not informed therefore, I can't make a decision. A child would easily want to follow his parents' decision because he sees them as role models. So, what happens when the parents make a bad choice while voting?
What age would you think a child is informed enough to vote?
I disagree because I don't think it depends on the child's age it depends on how interested and willing they are to vote and I think age is just a number because if the child watches "the news" he or she can stay informed so just because some children think that being informed is boring but I don't think we can discriminate all the children based on their age but however others might disagree with me because children don't have maturity but scientists have proved that some people just analyze, think and age differently. so, it doesn't depend on age it depends on their mindset, and they don't need to be old to have a better mindset.
signing off: Fair minded elephant
signing off
A child can be informed to vote around the of 16 reasons because at there growing up i think voting will kind of be like a distraction to their learning because at this point in time they will be learning about their civic duties, rights and responsibilities and learn how to expand creativity and be problem solvers.
I disagree with Clémentine's idea ,
I said before that I agree that 16- year-olds should vote in elections but that is different. I mean , even though she says it's their right to vote from birth , I feel like you actually need to understand what you are voting for first . To be fair my main reason is decision-making, so how can a baby choose between different policies ? They'd probably end up doing whatever their parents tell them , which is honestly doesn't make much sense anyway or unfair . However some people might argue that it's all about representation and that every person deserves a voice no matter their age , I totally get that but hear me out , you still need a bit of maturity and life experience before you make such a big choice or decision. And that's it .
Thanks
I agree with clementine although maybe not from the moment you are born as you would not be able to even think for yourself . But I am under 18 and 16 and I would love the chance to vote .If anybody else agrees then maybe ask to vote through your parents/ carers by suggesting who they should vote for .
By the way does anybody else want the chance to vote , make a difference or even speak out if so reply to this comment and I might be able to suggest something helpful
I disagree with Clementine's idea because voting isn't just about having a voice and that's it, it's about having a "meaningful" choice.
Babies are too young to decide
A newborn or even young children less than 8 may not know what does voting mean. Their mind is not mature enough to understand or "realize" society issues. For example, sometimes when some young children aged from 3-7 are asked some questions, they don't reply and stop as if they have an "error". This clearly shows that their brain or mind isn't fully mature. Is it logic to let a baby, with NO knowledge, NO experience, and NO critical thinking skills to vote in elections and decisions that would reshape the society?
They may be influenced or parents can vote instead of them
Young children and babies surely can't take studied, accurate decisions so parents would just vote for them. That means some adults can take extra vote, which is completely breaking the rules of democracy. Not only that, but also votes will be repeated by the same person, which would confuse a country, and decisions will be taken depending on really "fake" votes.
Can you imagine a baby still learning to walk, speak, read and hold a pencil is allowed to vote in such VERY important decisions? IT WOULD BE A DANGEROUS CASE.
However, others might argue that democracy should give everyone the right to vote and have a voice. I agree but do you think that democracy is still ok to let some people vote more than two times? societies set the voting age of 18 because that's when people are usually able to take independent decisions.
It sounds like you are in favour of a minimum age but do you think there is scope to lower that to 16 as proposed by the UK Government?
Voting requires a lot of self confidence and when a child is born they do not know anything about voting and it would take a lot of courage and determination for a one week old baby to learn about the world and how to deal with it.They should not be making young babys vote because it might have a lot of dangerous things on it such as fighting or wars and that has a lot of violence and i do not thinks it would be appropriate for young children.The babys might not even want to vote and you could be forcing them when they do not want to.People can vote at whatever age but for a baby to vote is too crazy.They need the ability to do it.
I disagree with Clémentine's idea. Voting is a crucial decision that can determine the fate of a nation, the fate of neghboring countries, and at large, even the world. But imagine the newborn babies, barely able to speak, are voting without any knowledge of the candidates simply because they were born in that country and are willing to vote. They might even choose a candidate who simply seem appealing without any understanding of their policies. I'm not trying to generalize them, but saying the truth. How will the newborn babies who were just born be able to examine the candidates' polices and consider the future of their country?
However, I also acknowledge that age alone can't accurately determine whether a person is capable of shaping the fate of a nation as Clémentine mentioned. Nevertheless, it's not possible for a country to assess the maturity of every single citizen one by one.
On the other hand, it has proven that most brain grows with age by many studies including the University of Cambridge and National Institude of Health. And that's why age limits exist as a criterion and indicator for voting.
In overall, I disagree with Clémentine's idea. I belive that the minimum age still has to exist for voting because even though sometimes the age doesn't always show the enough maturity perfectly accurately, it's proven to be able to show the maturity for most people.
I disagree that voting should start from birth because there is a level of knowledge and understanding the child is meant to have.
Imagine an instance of a child who has just started learning how to read and write is the one meant to be choosing leaders for us,kids has just started identifying their alphabets and pictures. I personally think that does not make sense. Well that is my view and opinion though others might disagree.
I partly agree with Clementine's idea because, as she explains in the video, children are still members of society and political decisions affect them even if they cannot speak up directly. Giving the right to vote from birth is a way of recognizing that democracy should represent all citizens, not only those old enough to participate immediately.
One reason for my view is that many major issues, such as climate change, education policy and long-term economic planning, will shape the future of younger generations the most. This links to wider debates about intergenerational justice, which is the idea that governments should consider the rights and interests of people who will live with the consequences of today's choices.
However, others might argue that voting should depend on maturity and political understanding. They may believe that elections require informed decision-making and that giving voting rights from birth could raise questions about how those votes would be used or represented.
Overall, Clementine's argument is thought-provoking because it challenges traditional ideas about participation and encourages people to rethink what democracy means, especially when it comes to including voices that are often left out of political system.
I partly agree with Clémentine’s idea that people should have the right to vote from birth, because she says voting is about having a voice, not about being clever enough. That made me think that even babies are affected by political decisions, like schools, hospitals, climate change, and how safe the world will be when they grow up.
One reason for my view is fairness. For example, in geography we learn about climate change, and children will live with its effects much longer than adults. If decisions today affect the future, then future people should count too. Letting people have the *right* to vote from birth reminds adults that kids are part of society, not just people in training.
However, I don’t think babies should actually use the vote straight away. Others might argue that voting needs understanding and responsibility, which usually comes with age and experience. I agree with that part. A baby can’t read a manifesto or watch the news, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to choose a party.
So maybe the strongest idea is not about babies voting, but about respecting children as citizens from the start. The right could exist, but the choice to use it could grow over time, like learning maths step by step. That way, democracy becomes something you grow into, not something that suddenly switches on at one birthday.
Hello, resplendent blueberry.
I partly disagree with your idea since voting must not start from birth. As you told us that Clementine said that it is not about being clever, but it is about having a voice however I just want to ask a question. How can someone vote in the elections without having knowledge or being clever? If someone wants to share and spread his voice, he or she must have knowledge or even know about the candidates. I believe that it is fair enough to let the children learn first about basic information like in science or even politics then when they become conscience, they can now participate in the elections.
Can you just tell me, how can a 2 or 3-year-old kid vote in the elections? It does not make sense at all. The baby can actually vote depending on their parents' choice besides this can make it actually worse since this can make the little kid dependent when he or she grows up.
Furthermore, the brains of the kids are still growing however when the brain become fully grown in the age from 9 to 13, they can have the chance to participate in the elections so that they can tell what they think about.
Do you think that children have the ability to vote in the elections?
I disagree that children (I'm talking about children below 16) should be allowed to vote, because they don't really have an idea of how the world is, and they are not politically aware enough to vote. Also, they can easily be manipulated during campaigns and can be easily bribed. For example, if a five-year-old is allowed to vote, I can easily bribe/deceive him to vote for me by promising him that if I become president, all the candy in the world will be free.
I disagree with the idea which Clémentine stated about giving people the right to vote from birth, which is an interesting idea.
Further, Clémentine suggests that the right to vote is related to citizenship, not age, and that children, like adults, are impacted by political decisions. However, while this is true, I think the right to vote also has to do with a certain level of understanding and decision making abilitty. One way that supports my argument is related to fairness. Voting has to do with an informed choice, not just a choice that someone makes on someone’s behalf, and young children do not have a way of understanding political issues and consequences.
However, others could argue that this system would improve the support for representation, since it is the young who would be affected most in many decisions, particularly decisions about education or even climate change. They might argue that it makes society value the interests of the children.
Overall, I believe that children’s voices should be heard in politics through education, youth councils, and perhaps lowering the voting age but not through voting since they are born.
I think it is very problematic to loser the voting age because Younger people can be more easily, manipulated which can affect the voting which can decrease the democracy, I think the voting age Should be at 18 or 20years. Max.
Hey there
I would like us to understand the concept of voting, it is a democratic way of choosing a representative to represent the people of a country in both internal and external affairs
I disagree that voting should start from birth because children don’t know anything about the country so they’ll just choose what is fun for themselves and not want to benefit their country and imagine the number of children that vote is 78% and adults is 22% and in the case where children don’t know anything about the economy and they vote just for fun and they end up voting for a wrong leader who do you think would win It would be the children’s vote that’ll count because their more.
Voting is normally thought in higher institutions and it’s not a child’s thing for them to just involve themselves without them knowing the concept and purpose of voting and end up choosing a wrong leader.
In conclusion, I would say that voting should not start from birth to enable a better and smoother running of democracy.
THANKS FOR LISTENING!!!!!!!!!!!!