Op-Ed: Old Enough to Work, Old Enough to Vote

By Afonso De Jesus March 17th, 2026

With the 2026 election cycle intensifying, youth rights advocacy groups are lobbying the U.S. government to lower the minimum voting age for local and state elections to 16 or 17.

People have different opinions regarding the right age to vote during elections. Some people think that a minimum age requirement for voting in elections should not exist. Others say that the right age to vote should be 16 because if a teenager can drive or work at 16 they can also vote. Some resources said that to vote for any election requires maturity and experience. Some teenagers between 16 and 17 don't yet have maturity, experience and responsibility to make big decisions.

Simão is a senior at Deering High School. When asked about the possibility of minors under 18 voting in elections in the United States, he said that it might be a good idea to dream about it, but that it will never become a reality. The United States has already determined that the appropriate age is 18, without exceptions. Eighteen is an age that you receive a lot of challenges in life and in some countries when you turn 18 it's mandatory go to the military.

Alberto is another student from Deering High School who had a different opinion about this case. He said that if people below 18 have a right to do things like driving, work and tax, they have a right to vote in any election whether during elections or other types of cases. If voting during elections or other types of situations requires maturity, or experience that's no excuse. 

The right age to vote is always a controversial debate among people all over the world. But 18 years old is a global milestone for adulthood, often referred to as the age of maturity. So now it makes sense why in many places around the world you have to be 18 years old to vote for any elections and are seen as capable of balancing personal freedom with civic responsibility.