Essay
Greetings my fellow Minnesotans, Our great state is a state that has always been a champion of our high voter turnout, and our deeply pro democratic beliefs. Yet, as most states in our nation, we maintain a very quiet and very unknown injustice. We as a state deliberately silence the voices of 16 and 17 year olds, the generation that has the biggest stakes in our future. I would like to propose a bill that would grant an unrepresented group the right to vote.
There are many examples foreign and domestic, that voting is a habit. If a person votes in the first election they are eligible for they are more likely to become a lifelong voter. Sixteen and seventeen year olds alike are mainly still in school, and are very rooted and immersed in their communities and education. This is a very ideal environment to foster the civic habit of voting. Why wait until they are scattered by college, why wait until they are stressed by work, and why wait until they are detached from their local polling place. We must ensure especially in times like these where our democracy is under attack, that our democracy is not fragile. We must ensure that our democracy remains as solid as steel.
We must not continue the hypocrisy of responsibility. As a society we trust a 16 year old to drive a 4,000lb vehicle. Why as a society do we allow taxation without the opportunity of representation. This is not justice; this is taxation without representation, a principle our nation was founded against. If they are mature enough to earn and pay their fair share, then they are old enough to decide what gets done with their share.
The choice is simple: we choose to be the state that continues to lead America in civic responsibility. Give them the right to vote. Let the future of our great state be determined by the people who will live in it the longest. We must not only uphold our democracy, but we must expand it and the best time for this unprecedented change is now.