California Proposes Giving the Vote to Kids

It
had to happen. Legislators in California, America’s Fountain of Youth
Worship, have proposed lowering
the voting age for state elections
to
14! The idea seems to be that by empowering teenagers at an earlier age,
we will expand diversity and democracy.  We will also probably end
up with Keanu Reeves as Governor and the Olsen twins as co-Attorney’s
General.

And why stop at 14? Why not let pre-teens vote? How about giving two
votes to pregnant women? After all, the unborn life in their wombs will
have to abide by the decisions and policies of the winners of the elections.
Fair is fair.

A proposed amendment to California’s constitution would give 16-year-olds
a half-vote and 14-year-olds a quarter-vote in state elections.

State Sen. John Vasconcellos, among four lawmakers to propose the idea on Monday,
said the Internet, cellular phones, multichannel television and a diverse society
makes today’s teens better informed than their predecessors.

The idea requires two-thirds approval by the Legislature to appear on the November
ballot.

"When we gave the vote to those who didn’t own property, then to women,
then to persons of all colors, we added to the richness of our democratic dialogue
and our own nation’s integrity and its model for the world," Vasconcellos
said, calling it time to further extend the vote.

from SFGate.com