The right to vote is crucial to our democratic system in the United States. Citizens can go to the polls and influence what happens in this country. When the U.S. was established, this right separated it from other countries. Why isn’t this important right given to everyone? People should be allowed to vote before they turn 18. Young people will be adults when much of what is currently being determined will take effect, so we should have a chance to influence these important decisions.

Voter turnout for the 1996 election was around 49 percent. Comparatively, a study of eight- to 12-year-olds revealed that 89 percent wanted to vote. Another study found that 73 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds wanted to vote. If young adults want to help make decisions about how the country grows, why should they be ­stifled?

Teens can also encourage adults to vote. When they come home from school and speak to their parents about politics and how excited they are to vote, their parents’ interest may be aroused. Additional voters will make elections more representative of what all citizens want, not just certain groups. And when these young people become adults, they will continue with their established voting habits.

Teenagers are told to act like adults. They can be prosecuted as adults, teachers expect mature behavior from students, and youth of all ages pay taxes. The government gets more than $9.7 billion annually in sales tax from children. Additionally, 80 percent of high school students have jobs and pay significant percentages of their earnings to the government in taxes. The American Revolution was fought over taxation without representation, yet ironically, children and teens pay these taxes without having voting rights. It is unfair to persecute people with laws they have no power to ­influence, especially in a democratic country.

Many say that children are unlikely to make good decisions because they are not yet burdened with the concerns and problems of the world. They also feel that parents, advertising, and friends may influence young people’s choices. When people turn 18, they don’t suddenly become unaffected by other points of view.

Many teens are better educated than their parents and have studied politics and American history more recently. Some young adults may not completely understand certain political ideas or problems, but many adults who are ­uneducated also vote.

Young people should be allowed to vote. In order to gain these rights, we need to spread this idea; tell your friends and parents, send letters to your state representatives, or advocate in your own way. Setting a voting age is discrimination. The government cannot discriminate against other groups, so why should it do so against young ­people?