Children have no voice, but they are most affected by the legacy we leave them
The chance of an individuals vote actually having an influence on on an election result is about the same as winning a lottery. People don't vote to influence the outcome of the election, they vote to feel better. They feel they should as a good citizen, or feel they have a duty, do so to please other people, or because they wish to withdraw support for a particular candidate.
The secrecy of who voted for who is almost universal in democratic systems. The downside of this is that you cannot promise a politician that you will vote for them if they do a certain thing. They will never know how you voted and cannot hold you to it. Hence it diminishes your power to make your vote count.
The upside is no-one can force you to vote a certain way, as they can never identify how you voted.
Counting votes is how people decide what to do to each other. Failing to cast a vote is not the same as saying “go away” it is equivalent to staying silent and it isn't working.
Rather that having an arbitrary age when people can vote people should be able to vote when they can read and write to a basic level
Everyone is a part of society and affected by politics and should have a chance to influence it.
The reason that someone should not be able vote if they can't read and right is because they cannot make informed decisions.
If it is shown that that someone who cannot read and write can make informed decisions they shall be allowed to vote.
Laws should be put in place to protect those who may be taken advantage of in order to control their vote.
Based on the above there might be some interest in 2 classes of vote. It is importantant that everyone can vote
The main benefit of voting are primarily that everyone can feel they influence the society they live in
If people cannot vote they may become disaffected and not voice their opinions but act upon them instead.
So everyone needs a vote or society cannot function, but a vote is serious, and whilst people need a licence to drive
they don't need a license to affect other peoples lives indirectly through voting.
Hence there should be two levels of voting, one level to safeguard people in a presidential format and another level of voting to create the laws.
Need to confirm the following "women ratepayers had the vote – both for Poor Law Guardians (under the Act of 1834) and for local councils (under thte Act of 1835)."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19908031 (voting age)