Here at Harvard the "northern professors" interviewed by the CRIMSON are, for the most part, in favor of change. They see many advantages and few disadvantages in prospect.
Need A Challenge
Government Professor John M. Gaus labels one of his reason for approving the extention as "very sentimental and naive" but he honestly feels that "if we are going to take fellows to fight at 13, we had better let them vote too." He dismisses the argument of the immaturity of youth by noting, "Everybody is somewhat immature at every stage of their lives. Exercise of the vote is a very sobering experience."
Gaus alludes to early Massachusetts history when a "surprising number" of teenagers were full-fledged ship captains. "It may be that one thing lost in our lives is the challenge to mature earlier. Young men and women, I find, do rise effectively to challenges."
He adds, "I don't see that a change is critical or that no change will be catastrophic." Early voters will generally vote as their parents vote because of the family's normal association with a certain point of view, but the end of secondary schools education seems to him "a reasonable point of break."
Peter H. Rossi, assistant professor of Sociology, doesn't think there is "terribly much difference in attitudes of political responsibility between those who are 18-20 and those who are 21-25." He notes that the national peak reading period is at the high school level. "There is now a gap of three to four years before a person is involved in making political decisions. By lowering the voting age to 18, we would provide a type of continuity in taking on adult responsibility."
Ressi doesn't agree with the "immaturity" argument. "If maturity were the criterion for using the ballot, we would have to disqualify a large proportion of the older voters."
Embryo Politicians
He believes that lowering the age requirement will provide an opportunity for young people to become involved in politics at a time when they are reading most about it. This could prove a force in cutting down political apathy. On the college campus feverish political activity, Rossi thinks, may interest students in politics sufficiently to bring them into national and local politics after college. This, of course, would be a highly important advantage.
Government Professor V. O. Key, Jr. says he "would be amazed if more than 50 percent" of teenagers would use the ballot if given the opportunity. Statistics over a long period of time indicate that lowest voting participation occurs among the 21-34 age group. Below is a percentile listing of non-participation among different age groups in the last two national elections: