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17 Year Olds Got to Vote in Rhode Island on Tuesday, April 2 — 32 Comments

  2. Anyone legally old enough to work a wage job and have to file taxes on that income, should have a say via the ballot box on how those those taxes are spent. As the old saying goes, “No taxation without representation.” I’ve thus no problem with 17 year olds voting, or even 16 year olds.

  3. So babies working as child actors should vote? There’s no age at which it’s illegal to work. Children are only limited in work hours and conditions and excluded from some jobs.

    I’ve had part time jobs since age 9, if not younger. That’s not counting chores on the family farm, only where I was paid cash. The first one where taxes were taken out was I think the summer when I was 11, when I helped bus tables at a restaurant.

    If employment is the sole basis for voting, should it be illegal for the unemployed to vote? Not necessarily a bad idea.

  4. When the voting age was set at 21, the typical 21 year old man who wasn’t otherwise excluded from voting was a married, gainfully employed head of household with several children, regular Christian churchgoer, gun owner, property owner, of Northwest European descent. The majority of voters were independent farmers. At 21, he was about halfway through the average lifespan.

    If those criteria were applied today, the voting age would be around 40. Democrats would be a minor party. And the country, as well as the world, would be incalculably better off.

  8. RI HACKS JUST HEARD ABOUT USA CONST 26 AMDT – IN EFFECT IN 1971 ??? —

    ONE RESULT OF THE 1964-1973 UNDECLARED VIETNAM WAR

  9. Why is this news? Most states allow this. Here in West Virginia, the 17-year old high school student daughter of our State Senate Leader defeated the lazy incumbent in the 2014 GOP May primary. She out-hustled him. At the time, that particular house of delegates district contained parts of both western Berkeley and eastern Morgan counties, so she was able to motivate high school seniors from both Hedgesville and Berkeley Springs high schools to turn out for her. “Surprise, Surprise!!!”

  10. RI –

    DORR’S WAR IN EARLY 1840S — DEFINITION OF ELECTOR AND GERRYMANDERS

    >>> 1844 RI CONST — LAST STATE TO HAVE WRITTEN STATE CONST [OLDE 1600S CHARTER UPDATED IN 1776]

  11. I’d like to see the voting age get raised to something like 21 or 25. The age of conscription, too. Over in Ukraine the soldiers on both sides are in their 40s. It makes sense to me. Let’s save the large decisions until we become adults.

  13. If they actually pay some significant tax, they should be allowed to vote.

  19. Continuous voting would solve this. A voter would acquire one vote each month. They could save up to 60 votes (5 years). They could exercise their votes once per month.

    Once a person reaches 18 or moves into a district they would begin accumulating votes. A voter who died or left the district would lose any accumulated votes.

  22. One vote per tax dollar seems more consistent with the Walter Ziobro theory of voting.

  23. No vote for grampaw Joe. Grampaw Joe is mean poopyhead.

  24. In the case of a child with a trust fund, who would vote, the child of the trust officer responsible for signing the tax paperwork?

  26. Businesses pay taxes. Foreigners pay taxes. Not just foreigners living here, but foreigners with US business interests who continue to live in their own countries. Foreign owned businesses pay US taxes. I guess under Ziobro logic all of those should vote in US elections.

  27. ONLY INDIVIDUALS PAY TAXES– IN THE FORM OF HIGHER PRICES FOR GOODS/SERVICES.AND/OR LESS INCOMES.

  28. @AZ,

    Not necessarily proxy votes. Let’s backdate to the November 2022 elections. Take the result and multiply by 60. Each month, 1/60 of the votes expire.

    Let’s say the results were:

    Andrew 1000
    Betty 600
    Carla 300

    So we change this to:

    Andrew 60,000
    Betty 36,000
    Carla 18,000

    Andrew serves because he has the most votes (terms are indefinite).

    After one month the totals are:

    Andrew 59,000
    Betty 35,400
    Carla 17,500

    Andrew continues to serve.

    Registered voters who did not vote in November 2022, would be granted up to 60 votes based on when they registered in the district, and whether they voted in 2020 and 2018. Voters in 2022 would have their balance zeroed out.

    Someone who did not vote in November 2022 could vote in December 2022 and cast up to 60 votes. Someone who voted in November 2022 could cast one vote in December 2022.

    Someone who voted in November 2022 could vote 17 votes in April 2024 if they had not voted since.

    A voter who turned 18 in January 2024 (or moved into the district) and registered could cast 4 votes in April 2024.

    Voters would be encouraged to register when they moved.

    This system could also be used for a congressional elections. Let’s take the November 2022 results for Michigan. The Top 12 would be elected (Tom Barrett (MI-7) would become a representative and John James (MI-10) would lose his seat).

    Voters could vote each month or abstain and accumulate more votes.

  29. I see no problem reducing the voting age or drinking age to 16 years old.

  30. I see no problem with raising either or both to 25 or 30.

  31. JR

    PROXY VOTES – ELECTION DAY – VOTING POWERS

    A 1000
    M 600
    Z 400
    LOSERS 200
    —-
    START TERM
    LOSERS MOVE VOTES
    A 1100
    M 650
    Z 450

    MID TERM — DUE TO VOTER CHANGES / DEATHS / MOVE OUTS / NEW VOTERS
    A 950
    M 700
    Z 390

    DAILY CHANGES POSSIBLE —
    NEW PROXY WHO GETS MORE VOTES THAN LOWEST PROXY OR SOME FIXED OR PERCENT AMOUNT
    —
    SUGGEST MINIMUM 5 PROXIES PER DISTRICT VIA CONDORCET

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