Student Opinions

This section was created to allow students to share their opinions on the upcoming election after gathering and synthesizing research on the candidates and issues. Since they are not of voting age, they must seek out other ways to be involved in the political process. They hope to have you consider their opinions and perhaps influence the election outcome along the way.

Students have unique perspectives and concerns about their community. Society holds the position suffrage should come with adulthood because it takes a certain level of reasoning to vote, but adults do not have to prove any level of reasoning when they show up to the polls on election day. When the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971, it proved that the line between childhood and adulthood is somewhat arbitrary. Perhaps having students vote while they are still in school and are "forced" to study the material relevant to the election would create a more informed and active electorate. Maybe 18 is the worst age for people to start voting because they are being bombarded with new experiences such as holding a steady job, being away at college, or becoming financially independent. Whether or not we grant suffrage to high school students someday, we should listen to their thoughts about politics when they have something to say or we run the risk of extinguishing some of their first attempts at civic life.

The opinions presented in the this section are not the views of Palo Alto High School or its staff and this site is not hosted by the Palo Alto Unified School District.