During the 2022 midterms, House Democrats ended up losing control of the lower chamber. Despite predictions from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Democrats would keep the House, Republicans reclaimed it.
Then, they elected GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy as the new House Speaker. Republicans controlling the House gives them some real leverage and power, despite the Senate and White House remaining under Democratic control.
However, notwithstanding being in the minority, House Democrats are still trying to push ahead with the legislative changes they believe are good. One example of this is a proposal to bring down the legal voting age from 18 to 16, per the Daily Caller.
What to Know About This Latest Proposal
As it currently stands, the 26th Amendment only permits voting from US citizens ages 18 and up. However, if House Democrats get their way, their proposal would change this, giving 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds voting rights.
Democrats in favor of this measure claim getting the attention of young kids when they’re in high school and potentially learning politics in school is important. As far back as 2019, Pelosi expressed support for bringing down the voting age to 16.
Democrats introduced a bill to lower the voting age to 16. 🤦♂️ They’re running scared and it’s embarrassing.
— OEF VET (@OEFvetted) January 15, 2023
This proposal to change the 26th Amendment is already taking heat from those who disagree with lowering the voting age. Critics of Democrats argue they’re running scared of losing voters and therefore want to change the rules of the game.
Will It Pass?
Despite the fanfare from Democrats, it’s unlikely that they’ll get their way on this one. For starters, the House is now under Republican control. This means if every single House Democrat voted in favor to lower the voting age, it still wouldn’t pass the chamber.
Right now, many Americans can agree there are bigger fish to fry than opening up the voting booths to 16-and-17-year-olds.
Bringing down inflation, making childcare more accessible, and even protecting the United States from cyberattacks are each issues that lawmakers could be directing their attention to.
The working class can harder buy food and gas, and the House Democrats introduce a resolution that would lower the voting age to 16.
The Democrat Left are totally out-of-touch with the real issues that Americans are dealing with.
— Dr. Andrew Jackson (@DrAndrewJackson) January 13, 2023
While the proposal to bring down the US voting age may not pass this Congress, it remains to be seen if Democrats revive this legislation if they ever regain simultaneous control of both congressional chambers.
Right now, with Republicans dominating the House and Democrats dominating the Senate, the system of checks and balances is fully at work. No longer will the Democrat Party be able to pass bills or make changes without working across the aisle with their GOP colleagues.
What do you think is really motivating House Democrats who want to bring down the national voting age to 16? Do you believe Democrats are doing this solely to obtain more political power?
You’re more than welcome to let us know your thoughts about this in the comments area down below.
This article appeared in Watch Dog News and has been published here with permission.
