Just finished the 20th run of #16tovote on the 16th! With a decent 47 participants, we as usual tweeted and tweeted about why the voting age should be lower. This time a focus was mostly on emphasizing what basic rights, liberties, and protections those without voting rights lack, that gaining voting rights is a ticket to ensuring these things are secure. Tweeted also about common assumptions about youth when it comes to voting, or when it comes to anything political about them or that dares to suggest they be treated as human, about just how little sense these common assumptions make, how they really don’t disqualify teens from voting rights.
We do it again Sunday, October 16. Be sure to follow us on Twitter!
And, of course, here’s the recap! 😀
youthrights Here we go! Time for another… #16tovote on the 16th!!! Here’s Top 10 Reasons to LOWER THE VOTING AGE! http://t.co/RRS0Ridu
youthrights Time for another 24 hours of tweeting about lowering the voting age, with the hashtag #16tovote! 🙂
ErikBraghirol If you pay taxes under 18, than you should be to vote under 18. #16tovote.
youthrights So many youth rights restrictions come back to youth being unable to vote against them. So let’s fix that! #16tovote
ClevelandRock http://t.co/Qon0WJFq Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age (damn straight), via @youthrights. http://t.co/Qon0WJFq #16tovote
ErikBraghirol If you can handle driving at 16, then you can handle voting at 16. #16tovote.
ClevelandRock I didn’t turn 18 until 2005. If I voted at 16, I would have been able to vote against Bush. And just think: I live in Ohio. #16tovote
ErikBraghirol What better way to get young people involved in politics than letting them vote? #16tovote.
youthrights Youth have to sit by powerless while their elders make decisions about and around them. No good reason for it. #16tovote
youthrights Concern about one’s society and community does not begin suddenly at age 18. It starts a LOT earlier than that! #16tovote
youthrights Check out our friends @Vote17Lowell and @TheNew18 who are working on lowering the voting age in MA and CT respectively! 🙂 #16tovote
youthrights May see some voting age activity in Ohio and Hawaii, too! We have two promising chapters forming there with that intention! 🙂 #16tovote
SamCEllis Great to see @youthrights doing their #16toVote tweets again. A brilliant example of campaigning via social media
youthrights Voting age of 16 is a giant step toward winning and securing greater rights and freedoms and thus better life for young people! #16tovote
sciville Some say “teens won’t vote well!” Even though teens can’t vote at all yet, so these people base that on absolutely nothing. #16tovote
sciville Austrian 16-year-olds can vote. American 16-year-olds can’t. So unpatriotic to not have such faith in our American 16-year-olds! #16tovote
youthrights When we say lower voting age to 16, we say it’s an important first step to much greater rights for youth. It’s NOT the end goal! #16tovote
youthrights But by all means, think further! Imagine youth being truly trusted and given a voice, and let’s work on making that a reality! 😀 #16tovote
PJOinDC It’s the 16th again already? Wow. #16tovote is like a monthly alarm clock
youthrights Part of making a freer youth-friendly society? Lowering the voting age to grant a voice and protect against rights violations! #16tovote
PJOinDC The older I get, the MORE I believe in @youthrights — because as an adult I see the injustices clearly. #16tovote
youthrights Recent article about @Vote17Lowell’s current campaign to lower the voting age in Lowell, MA! http://t.co/Ob1riRyl #16tovote
youthrights Recent article about @TheNew18’s campaign to lower CT’s voting age to 16! http://t.co/G1JLo6IJ #16tovote
sandy_burger No taxation without representation! #16tovote !!
sciville Oh, how silly of us. Kids should just focus on school. Leave things like dignity, freedom, and voting rights to the adults! 😛 #16tovote
PJOinDC @sciville I’ve seriously heard people say D.C. doesn’t vote well (M. Barry), so we don’t deserve full rights. B.S. argument. #16tovote
youthrights Good morning! It’s another fabulous #16tovote on the 16th of voicing our support for lowering the voting age!
ErikBraghirol People always talk about getting new ideas into politics. What better way than lowering the voting age? #16tovote.
youthrights Yay! The Lowell Sun supports @Vote17Lowell’s campaign to lower the voting age! http://www.lowellsun.com/editorials/ci_18909548 🙂 #16tovote
youthrights Those who think teens are apathetic conveniently forget teens’ significant role in ALL major social justice movements! #16tovote
youthrights Anti-youth laws are unjust already but are even more so since the people subject to them do not have a say in them. #16tovote
ErikBraghirol If teens are so apathetic, then what’s the problem with giving them the vote? A lot of Americans are apathetic & they can vote. #16tovote.
youthrights Simple freedoms like going outside are seen as privileges for those too young to vote:
http://www.youthrights.org/issues/curfew/ #16tovote
ErikBraghirol @notfallingapart If teens could vote, maybe youth camps would no longer exist. #16tovote.
notfallingapart @ErikBraghirol so true! made my day with that! thank you! #16tovote @opliberation1 #opliberation
youthrights Never heard an objective definition of “voting well” nor know why so many people think teens wouldn’t live up to it. #16tovote
silverwolf1977 If teens could vote, there would be no more curfews. #16tovote
notfallingapart @ErikBraghirol if you can deal with road rage you should be able to vote #16tovote. an old guy driving a jag definitely shouldn’t.
missmarymax Nearly every social movement has been pushed forward by youth. IOW, it’s not their apathy we’re afraid of, it’s their passion. #16tovote
ErikBraghirol @notfallingapart Very true, we’re not the ones that gambled away our retirement money on Wall Street or gave out bad mortgages #16tovote.
youthrights The most important factor in ensuring politics treats youth issues well is making sure all youth actually have a say! #16tovote
youthrights This is the 20th run of #16tovote on the 16th! To learn more about lowering the voting age, check out our page: http://www.youthrights.org/issues/voting-age/ 🙂
youthrights Wikipedia page for Glarus, Switzerland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glarus_%28canton%29 Check out the last line in the “History” section. 🙂 #16tovote
youthrights Adults are encouraged to think negatively of teens. Very many do. As adults can vote and teens can’t, this is dangerous! #16tovote
ErikBraghirol If Snooki is allowed to vote, then I think 16 year-olds can handle it. #16tovote.
youthrights You don’t get an educated electorate by disenfranchising people. You get it by… educating and including them! #16tovote
youthrights Lowering the voting age is one step toward ending the harmful segregation of youth from the rest of society. #16tovote
youthrights Youth ARE part of society whether many want to believe so or not. Lowering the voting age will recognize and improve this! #16tovote
youthrights “I am 16. I have a job and pay taxes.” http://bit.ly/9lVTJh Our voting age TV ad from 2008 created by @nyrasefl! #16tovote
youthrights True, some teens probably wouldn’t vote even with the right. But that’s no reason to deny that right for those who would. #16tovote
missmarymax RT @elsbet Passion w/out sound reason should be feared. << Agreed. At *any* age. Youth hardly corner the market on this. Alas. #16tovote youthrights This isn’t just about the right to vote. It’s also about all the rights and protections that come with the right to vote! #16tovote
youthrights “How can the ‘consent of the governed’ be given if the right to vote be denied?” -Susan B Anthony #quote #16tovote
youthrights Education is commonly the first cut in budget crises. Of course. The students can’t vote against those doing the cutting! #16tovote
youthrights Education needs MAJOR REFORM, definitely! But as long as students have no say in it, it simply can’t be done right. #16tovote
youthrights HS students must spend hours daily on mountains of homework, yet people think the simple few-minute task of voting is too much? #16tovote
youthrights One subject in the HS homework mountain is social studies. That student would know more about civics than those much older! #16tovote
youthrights Denial of voting rights requires “compelling state interest”. Ephebephobia is not by any means a compelling interest. 😉 #16tovote
susan_waym @youthrights thanks for following and keep up the great work! In full support of #16tovote.
Jordan_Carr Allow 16 year olds to vote because they affect the present, and impact the future the most. #16ToVote
youthrights Some worry teens wouldn’t live up to some (subjective) ideal of the Perfect Voter. Not sure there exists an adult who does! #16tovote
youthrights Reasons for voting do not matter! What matters is having that say in things and elected officials remembering this. Teens need it! #16tovote
youthrights What is all this? It’s #16tovote on the 16th! Tweeting about lowering the voting age with the hashtag #16tovote! Join in! 🙂
youthrights For more information about lowering the voting age, check out our page: http://www.youthrights.org/issues/voting-age/ #16tovote
studentactivism Norway rolled out a trial of the 16-year-old vote in municipal elections this month. #16tovote
youthrights Imagine if candidates spent nearly as much time campaigning at high schools as they do at retirement facilities. #16tovote
youthrights Candidates seek out parents’ votes on school issues. But the parents don’t know! Their kids know but can’t cast those votes! #16tovote
youthrights We need to stop thinking parents would vote on behalf of kids. They are SEPARATE PEOPLE with separate views and interests! #16tovote
youthrights #16tovote on the 16th is going GREAT! Thanks so much, everyone! 😀
youthrights Once again, here’s Top 10 Reasons to Lower the Voting Age! http://www.youthrights.org/issues/voting-age/top-ten-reasons-to-lower-the-voting-age/ 😀 #16tovote
youthrights As mentioned earlier, lower voting age is about more than the mere ability to cast a vote. It’s also what comes with the right! #16tovote
youthrights Would a candidate say to a voter “You can’t be outside after 11pm because otherwise you’ll commit a crime!”? #16tovote
youthrights Could an official say to someone whose vote he/she seeks “You’re too immature to read that book/play that game!”? #16tovote
youthrights Convenient the so-called “biggest menaces on the road” can’t vote (mostly) against politicians saying this about them. #16tovote
youthrights How well could a candidate force a voter to involve her parents in her reproductive health decisions? #16tovote
youthrights Would zero tolerance policies at school live another day if students could vote out the school board approving them? #16tovote
youthrights Would you tell a voter he is unruly and that the school he’s forced to attend every day must be allowed to paddle him? #16tovote
youthrights Would you force a law-abiding voter to go anywhere against his will every day for that matter? #16tovote
youthrights If it were voters whose parents shipped them off to abusive behavior modification facilities, how fast would they be shut down? #16tovote
youthrights Would you force a voter to remain with an abusive family because it isn’t “abusive enough” by some other standard to take action? #16tovote
youthrights Would you tell a voter, especially an employed one, that he/she cannot manage his/her own money? #16tovote
youthrights True. Voters are subjected to many rights violations anyway, and those must be fought. But without the vote, MUCH harder battle! #16tovote
youthrights Drinking age of 21 is an obvious example. But with lower voting age and more eligible voters affected by it, stands less chance! #16tovote
diahhforhannah #16tovote
ErikBraghirol We have a system that shuts out the most passionate members of society. Then, we wonder why participation is so low among adults. #16tovote
youthrights Check out our own @UsielX speaking about free speech and voting rights at the Supreme Court! http://youtu.be/sVFWwGyPAX4 🙂 #16tovote
youthrights Don’t worry about how teens would vote. Engage them and resonate with them, like any voter, and you’ll be fine! #16tovote
youthrights Lower the voting age, because youth can’t trust liberties and protections that aren’t in their own hands. #16tovote
youthrights Teens! Which politicians do and don’t support your right to vote? Remember them once you CAN vote! 😉 #16tovote
youthrights In response to Ann Coulter’s statement that the voting age should go up, @kpalicz said it should go DOWN! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-koroknaypalicz/ann-coulters-ageism-will-_b_784895.html #16tovote
zombieramen It’s our country, too! Why shouldn’t we be involved in electing our representatives? #16tovote
PJOinDC @youthrights I’ve read the Bill of Rights many times — there’s no age requirement in there #16tovote
youthrights Five and a half hours to go for #16tovote on the 16th! Once again, @nyrasefl’s voting age ad! http://t.co/h4YAqVY8 🙂 #16tovote
sciville Think teens would write in weird candidates? I don’t think that’s an invalid way to vote if writing in is even an option! #16tovote
danlsimp The 16yos I know who would bother voting are the ones who take the time to educate themselves about the issues. #16tovote
youthrights Silly that some call teens apathetic about politics when their involvement in it is so restricted. #16tovote
youthrights Just think. In a family where no one votes, but a teen wants to, and can and does, could encourage whole family to vote! #16tovote
youthrights Weird to complain that teens don’t care about politics when so many teens who do and want to vote are denied. #16tovote
youthrights How can you deny engaged politically active teens the right to vote and have the audacity to claim teens don’t care? #16tovote
kpalicz @mikeelk & @avihein both fought for #16tovote when they were in high school and now they rule the twitterverse. Coincidence? I think not.
the_boy #16toVote Because there is nothing more important for citizenship, and no better time to teach people to make a lifelong habit of it
kpalicz @anncoulter said the voting age should be raised. I wrote in HuffPo instead that it should be lowered: http://t.co/KipsjLOW #16tovote
kpalicz Good stuff @MEnista, @mob_org I bet the @nytimes would be less likely to denigrate #Millennials if more of them were able to vote. #16tovote
teh_maxh #16tovote motherfuckers. Do eet nao.
youthrights With lower voting age, young people will be seen as capable voting citizens rather than objects voting adults must deal with. #16tovote
youthrights Here’s NYRA board member @UsielX speaking at the Supreme Court about free speech and voting rights! http://t.co/pWItqvno #16tovote
youthrights There is no supposed concrete fault teen voters would have that isn’t already rampant among adult voters! #16tovote
youthrights “Too immature to vote” comes up now and then, despite the fact that those words really don’t mean anything. #16tovote
youthrights “Not enough life experience” begs the question of what exact experience is so vital and why adults without it can still vote. #16tovote
ErikBraghirol “Not enough life experience?” Do you mean experience bankrupting the country through war & tax cuts? #16tovote.
youthrights What is this Perfect Voter ideal teens apparently wouldn’t live up to, and why are adults exempt from it? #16tovote
youthrights So with reasons, maturity, experience, and knowledge irrelevant, and no “compelling interest”, no reason not to lower voting age! #16tovote
sciville I’ll tell you why the voting age isn’t lowered yet! It’s that adultist grip on society that shuns reason for adult privilege. #16tovote
sciville Voting is supposed to be a right, but when it comes to teens, for some reason, it’s treated like it’d be a trivial privilege. #16tovote
sciville Teens are systematically taught they don’t matter and are discouraged from demanding their right to vote! But teens DO matter! #16tovote
youthrights Two hours to go for this 20th run of #16tovote on the 16th! Keep the great #16tovote tweets coming! 😀
youthrights NYRA board member Samantha Godwin covers youth voting rights extensively in her paper here: http://t.co/lUXlMkdv Check it out! 🙂 #16tovote
youthrights People old enough to vote have no trouble buying any video game. Those younger had to win a Supreme Court case first. #16tovote
youthrights When too young to vote, SCOTUS decision is required to decide, no, you shouldn’t be strip searched for probably carrying Advil. #16tovote
youthrights For those too young to vote, 1st Amendment rights aren’t so much considered rights as abilities adults sometimes let you have. : #16tovote
youthrights Voting itself may not be a priority for many, but the rights that suffrage brings with it are vital and can’t be denied to youth. #16tovote
youthrights Without voting rights, it’s easy to see youth as a homogeneous group with one set of needs. Not true at all. Needs vary greatly! #16tovote
youthrights What is true of all youth is they are just as much part of this society as the rest of us, and should get the same voting rights! #16tovote
youthrights No suffrage means being forced to sidelines, told you don’t matter. Suffrage is an invitation, a voice, being “one of us!” #16tovote
youthrights Lowering the voting age would benefit young people in many ways, and there’s no good reason not to do it! #16tovote
teh_maxh #16tovote: voting shouldn’t be a crime.
youthrights Can get in serious trouble for fraudulent underage voting. I know a great way to solve that problem! 😛 #16tovote
youthrights For the 20th time, we’ve taken a day of the month and used it to discuss extending voting rights to younger people! #16tovote
amisophe #16tovote: because youth (and people in general) are only apathetic when they have no options.
youthrights We look at common assumptions about teens, how they’d vote, and discard ideas that really don’t make much sense! #16tovote
youthrights Most of all, we go beyond the theoretical and demand a lower voting age for real, campaign for it, work for it. #16tovote
youthrights Major political campaigns for lower voting age are done by our chapters and friends at @Vote17Lowell, @TheNew18, @Votesat16, etc. #16tovote
youthrights Those of us doing the #16tovote tweeting promote these campaigns and ideas, reaching out to our friends, introducing new ideas.
youthrights We challenge harmful assumptions about teens, assumptions that leave teens lacking rights, without a voice, and vulnerable. #16tovote
youthrights We challenge the idea of 18 being the age at which you start to matter, by suggesting a voting age of 16 instead. #16tovote
youthrights Those under 18 do matter, can rise up to citizenship, and we’ll see other rights gained, for those 16 and even younger. #16tovote
youthrights But to begin, let’s lower that voting age and see where the rest takes us! 😀 #16tovote
youthrights And… that about does it for this 20th run of #16tovote on the 16th! Yay! You all are awesome! Timeline clogging credits up soon. 🙂
D_Summerville Because civics and government education (and teachers) are incapacitated until students can use the tool we are trying to teach. #16tovote
youthrights Thanks for the #16tovote tweets! @Jordan_Carr @ErikBraghirol @ClevelandRock @shaylaprice @SamCEllis @sciville @PJOinDC @amisophe @oinonio
youthrights Thanks for the #16tovote tweets! @sandy_burger @silverwolf1977 @TheBeckyford @THEHUBNEWSPAPER @missmarymax @notfallingapart @SpokenxWords
youthrights Thanks for the #16tovote tweets! @D_Summerville @Ikeumez @studentactivism @Baby_Love_Child @dialhforhannah @TeacherSabrina @taradinoc @JTeen
youthrights Thanks for the #16tovote tweets! @BenjaminRobins @zombieramen @mdomb @SeashyRayRae @VivienneBrowne @Leading_Now @deporteeswife @coopmike48
youthrights Thanks for the #16tovote tweets! @p_qc @Dontworryteach @danlsimp @CommonwealthUth @kpalicz @the_boy @teh_maxh @curiouscliche @unschoollife
youthrights Thanks for the #16tovote tweets! @Ms_UK_American @ScarletFeminist @withouttheblond @xensky @nicolecornu @sableverity and anyone we missed!
youthrights We do it again on October 16, the 21st run and Sunday Edition of #16tovote on the 16th! Goodnight, everybody! 😀
See you then!
