Zuri Tate Period 6 March 20, 2024 Monument Project Essay In the writing, “Why We Should We Lower the Voting Age to 16,” Laurence Steinberg (an American university professor of psychology) writes, “The young people who have come forward to call for gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at their high school in Parkland, Fla., are challenging the tiresome stereotype of American kids as indolent narcissists whose brains have been addled by smartphones. They offer an inspiring example of thoughtful, eloquent protest” (New York Times). People like Laurence Steinberg are considering and debating the idea of the age being further lowered to 16; a proposed extension of the 26th Amendment. The 26th Amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971, establishing
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Laurence Steinberg explains that young people are stereotyped as “indolent narcissists whose brains have been addled by smartphones,” and that young people aren't smart enough to vote. He also explains the concept of “‘cold’ and ‘hot’ cognition,” where cold cognitive capabilities are the intelligence present when people are calm, and hot cognitive capabilities are the intellect or lack thereof when under distress. He details studies that show that while teenagers' “hot” cognition and tolerance are lower than fully developed brains of adults, however, the cold cognition of adolescent individuals amounts to being analogous to adults. He also explained that “(for cold cognition) voting is a good example of this sort of situation.” Another current implication of the 26th Amendment is the access to voting polls. Over the last 20 years, states have suppressed voting accessibility; “imposing strict voter ID laws, cutting voting times, restricting registration, and purging voter rolls” (Bkennel Center). They also mention that this phenomenon was magnified with Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, which re-allowed governments to change voting requirements without clearance from the attorney general. In the 2014 presidential election, the youth voter turnout (the percentage of young voters) was extremely low at just 13%. In a sudden uprise, the 2018 and 2022 elections had unusually high turnout; the former was 28%, and the latter 23%, a slight
Laurence Steinberg explains that young people are stereotyped as “indolent narcissists whose brains have been addled by smartphones,” and that young people aren't smart enough to vote. He also explains the concept of “‘cold’ and ‘hot’ cognition,” where cold cognitive capabilities are the intelligence present when people are calm, and hot cognitive capabilities are the intellect or lack thereof when under distress. He details studies that show that while teenagers' “hot” cognition and tolerance are lower than fully developed brains of adults, however, the cold cognition of adolescent individuals amounts to being analogous to adults. He also explained that “(for cold cognition) voting is a good example of this sort of situation.” Another current implication of the 26th Amendment is the access to voting polls. Over the last 20 years, states have suppressed voting accessibility; “imposing strict voter ID laws, cutting voting times, restricting registration, and purging voter rolls” (Bkennel Center). They also mention that this phenomenon was magnified with Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, which re-allowed governments to change voting requirements without clearance from the attorney general. In the 2014 presidential election, the youth voter turnout (the percentage of young voters) was extremely low at just 13%. In a sudden uprise, the 2018 and 2022 elections had unusually high turnout; the former was 28%, and the latter 23%, a slight