As we all know, a voting age is the minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. Today, the most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist. Most countries have set a minimum voting age, often set in their constitution. In a number of countries voting is compulsory for those eligible to vote, while in most it is optional.
When the right to vote was being established in democracies, the voting age was generally set at 21 or higher. In the 1970s many countries reduced the voting age to 18. The debate is ongoing in a number of countries on proposals to reduce the voting age to or below 18. Arguments against lowering the voting age to sixteen include a lack of political maturity. Also, one of the major arguments for lowering the voting age to 16 is that at this age in most countries a person has reached the legal working age for most jobs and is liable to pay taxes and therefore should not have to pay taxes without the right to political representation.
Eighteen is the most common voting age, with a small minority of countries differing from this rule. Those with a national minimum age of 17 include East Timor, Greece, Indonesia, North Korea, South Sudan, and Sudan. The minimum age is 16 in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey (three self-governing British Crown Dependencies). People aged 16–18 can vote in Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro if employed. The highest minimum voting age is 21 in several nations. Some countries have variable provisions for the minimum voting age, whereby a lower age is set for eligibility to vote in state, regional, or municipal elections. The only known maximum voting age is in the Holy See, where the franchise for electing a new Pope is restricted to Cardinals under the age of 80.
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Jerald Joseph once said that eighteen-year-olds nowadays are given the right to apply for driving licenses and continue their education and some even have begun their working life. They are already adults capable of thinking and choosing who to vote for. He had much confidence in young adults' ability to reflect on arguments by political parties as the youths are very well-informed, thanks to the internet. In addition to that, he added that youths are already exposed to some form of voting and campaigning in schools in the form of voting for head prefects(New Straits Times, 19th September 2018).
In another news, the Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has said that Malaysians can exercise their right to vote even if they are aged 18 in the next election. He added that young Malaysians know their aspirations and he had held informal discussions with the opposition leaders and they too are keen on this matter. He also mentioned that UMNO had lowered its membership age from 18 to 16, and this reflected the party’s acknowledgment of the importance of exposing the young to politics. He said to prepare youths for this responsibility, his ministry would propose programs on cadre ship, leadership, and politics(The Star, 20th September 2018). Under the country’s laws, 18 is the legal age of adulthood and is considered the age to take full responsibility for one’s actions, such as being eligible for a driving test, getting married, or signing contracts. In countries such as the United States, Britain, Australia, India, Iran, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia, the voting age has been lowered to 18. However, only Malaysia and Singapore still retain it at 21.
In an unprecedented victory, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition also known as the Alliance of Hope, which had been the country's federal Opposition prior to the election, won a simple majority in the Dewan Rakyat together with the Sabah Heritage Party (WARISAN), with PH and WARISAN cumulatively securing 121 seats. The election heralded the first regime change in Malaysia's history, as the erstwhile ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which had enjoyed an uninterrupted reign over the country since Malaya's independence in 1957, was voted out of power. The PH's leader, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, was sworn in as Malaysia's 7th Prime Minister on 10 May, a day after the election at 93 years of age.
Following the victory, it can be said that the principle of democracy is mature and preserved in this country and this proved that Malaysians especially the youths are ready to cast their vote. Why is this so? As we all know, youths also have the freedom to express their right to choose political parties just like adults do. Teenagers nowadays are more mature than adults compared to the past. Today’s young adults are much better educated than their grandparents, as the share of young adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher has steadily climbed since 1968 so this shows that they would have been smoking less and drinking less. As mentioned above, Malaysians are allowed to vote at the age of 18 in the future. However, those below 18 should also be given the right to vote for the country’s representative, this will definitely be a new move or fresh start for Malaysians in order to build a better nation.
First and foremost, being able to vote at the young age of 16( mainly the secondary school Form Four students), will promote civic-mindedness in teens. Younger children are influenced by their home environment when learning at school. For teens, it’s a different story. A majority of their academic achievements tie directly to the personal experiences they have in life. If we were to lower the voting age to 16, we would begin the foundation of a healthy habit of civic responsibility at a time in life when they are most influenced by what happens to them. A habit of social engagement can also be developed. Many of the habits that people develop during the ages of 16 and 17 become a routine part of their adult life. Just 10% of a teen’s academic achievement can be directly associated with the quality of their home life. It is the experiences that teens choose that make it easier for them to develop healthy habits in the future. By encouraging voting at a younger age, the habit of being engaged with society forms earlier, creating a better chance that the teen voter will become a regular adult voter.
Next, new voices to the political debate could also be offered. Teens at the age of 16 have a unique experience to share with the rest of the world. Some hold jobs, most go to school full-time, and many have family responsibilities to share. They play sports, volunteer in their community, and contribute in many other ways. By adding their perspectives to the political debates, these young people could shift the structure of polarization that has crept into global politics. When one has more voices and ideas available to the other as a society, then one has more access to innovation.
Also, it could improve voter turnout rates. Lowering the voting age could improve the voter turnout rates for the General Election. The Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah has announced that the final voter turnout was 82.32%. He added that the number of voters who voted in GE14 was 82.32% or 12,299,514 out of the total number of 14,940,624 registered voters in a press conference dated 11th May 2018. I believe the Malaysian government/authorities would be bringing in more people who would potentially be willing to cast a ballot by allowing teenagers aged 16 and above to vote to reach a 100% voter turnout rate in the 15th General Election due in the year 2023. Parents do play a part in this context. They tend to vote more often when they want to set an example for their children. Spikes in parental voting involvement occur when their children reach voting age. If the voting age is lowered, parents would still probably follow this trend.
Thirdly, teens do make rational choices. Although teens tend to have trouble with elements of emotional regulation and impulse control, their ability to make logical, rational decisions is already developed. Their thinking process is similar to that of an adult during periods of calm. That means teens have the ability to weigh the pros and cons of each issue being discussed in an election and reason logically about what actions they should support.
Moreover, lowering the voting age to sixteen year old will improve the lives of youth, in other words, helps to create lifelong voters. By assuring that young people can vote while still in school, the act will become a habit. Indeed, in Austria, where the minimum age to vote is 16, average voter turnout is 72 percent. Lowering the voting age to 16 in Malaysia could increase the voting rate for the entire country, improving our democracy in the process. Young people have a right to be heard and to have their interests taken seriously. However, by disenfranchising young people society tells us that we do not have anything of value to add to the political conversations in our society. It also gives politicians permission to ignore our interests as people under 18 have no way to hold their representatives accountable. This is especially concerning since there are certain issues, such as environmental degradation, public education policy, long-term government debt, corporal punishment laws, and poverty that impinged young people more than anyone else. Younger people may also be better in tune with modern issues around internet privacy and social media use. But if young people are underrepresented in politics, the issues affecting us will be underrepresented as well.
In addition to this, as Malaysians, we all came from different walks of life, and we should be clear that knowledge and experience are not criteria for voting eligibility in this century. Even though young people can be as politically informed as older people, there is no requirement that either group have any political knowledge at all. In fact, whenever tests have been used to register voters, it has always been about preventing certain groups of people from having political power rather than making sure the electorate is as informed as possible.
Furthermore, it is better to begin voting at age sixteen than at age eighteen. At the age of sixteen, young people are embedded in their communities of origin, where they know and care about local issues. Sixteen-year-olds are enrolled in school and have lived with family members who are voters. They have the chance to have classroom and dinner table conversations that support informed voting choices. By comparison, eighteen-year-old is a year of intense transitions for most young people, making it a challenging time to establish new voting habits. As a result, many young people currently do not begin voting until their late twenties.
Not to forget, if the youth(the sixteen-year-olds)don’t vote, then he or she will lose his or her right to complain. If one doesn’t vote, then we could end up with a “potted plant” elected Prime Minister. If one chooses not to vote, one automatically waives the right to complain. Voting demonstrates a good faith attempt to get the political outcome we desire and gives us every right to complain if things don’t go our way on a key ballot measure.
We must also bear in mind that youths, the ones aged sixteens are the more educated voters and also the most important ones. In the tech-connected world of millennials, there really isn’t any excuse for youths to not take an informed interest when social media like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are the top platforms used by politicians to connect with voters. Young people are the reason our leaders fought so hard for the country’s future. The youths nowadays are educated and bright. One should be able to determine the wrong from the right! We are the generation inheriting the country and its future and all of us have this right to democracy. It is our due diligence to research all the election elements. Make our votes count, examine what is promised and what will be at stake, then go ahead and cast our vote.
Lastly, it also follows a legal precedent set in Malaysia. When a child commits certain crimes in the country., the law permits them to be charged as an adult. The Age of Consent in Malaysia is 16 years old. The age of consent is the minimum age at which an individual is considered legally old enough to consent to participation in sexual activity. Individuals aged 15 or younger in Malaysia are not legally able to consent to sexual activity, and such activity may result in prosecution for statutory rape or the equivalent local law. However, Malaysia's statutory rape law is violated when an individual has consensual sexual contact with a person under the age of 16. In other words, if a 16-year-old can be charged as an adult, they should be able to vote.
Conclusion:
As said by The Youth and Sports Minister, Mr. Syed Saddiq - “Reducing the voting age will help break the 'youth glass ceiling' and encourage young people to be more active in political organizations. Voting age should be lowered to 16 to give the vote to people who have roots in a community, have an appreciation for local issues, and will be more concerned about voting than those just two years older. Youth have comfortable surroundings, school, parents, and stable friends, they feel connected to their community; all of these factors will increase their desire and need to vote. Lower the voting age, and youth will vote.
In a nutshell, there are arguments along the lines that youths aged 18 and below are not 'mature' enough to vote. However, maturity is not a requirement to participate in elections. Political maturity is vital in order to ensure that the best people are elected, but it should be a condition to vote. In countries such as the United States, Britain, Australia, India, and Iran, the voting age is 18. In South-East Asia, a voter who is 18 may vote in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. We are well behind in this regard.
Therefore, it is time for the Government to take the initiatives to amend Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution to lower the voting age to 16 just like the United States Of America. The Opposition parties should also support any move by the Government to introduce such changes. In this new Malaysia, there is no good reason why a teenager should be denied the chance to participate in the political and democratic process of elections. So why wait? Let’s do our part, make each vote counts!
Bibliography:
Syahredzan Johan has described Lowering The Voting Age To 18 as “A Humble Submission” (The Star, 25 June 2018)
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has stated that “Constitutional change to drop voting age at next Parliament meeting” (Malay Mail 01 April 2019)
Ronald D. Lankford, (2007). Should the Voting Age Be Lowered? Greenhaven Press.
Sylvia Engdah, (2010). Amendment XXVI: Lowering the Voting Age. The United States Of America: Greenhaven Press.