Like many Woods high schoolers, at 3:05 p.m. I go to work at the afterschool program. Many spend their afternoons supervising the elementary kids, settling arguments and keeping everyone safe. If I am mature enough to manage a group of energetic kids after school and professional enough to pay taxes, I should be “adult-enough” to have a voice in our democracy.

Sixteen-year-olds already handle real responsibilities. We balance school, jobs, sports, and family expectations while learning to drive and manage our time. Adults trust us to follow laws on the road, show up to work on time, and make decisions that affect our safety and others’. But when it comes to voting, one of the most important civic responsibilities, we’re suddenly considered too immature.

Lowering the voting age to 16 wouldn’t weaken democracy; it would strengthen it. At this age, students are actively learning about government and current issues in class. Giving teens the chance to vote while we’re still engaged in civic education would help build lifelong voters who understand the system and feel invested in it.

People say teenagers aren’t mature enough, but maturity doesn’t magically appear on your eighteenth birthday. The truth is, policies about education, school safety, and climate change will shape our futures long after current voters feel the effects.

Lowering the voting age isn’t about giving us more responsibility, it’s about giving us a voice in our democracy