The ‘prime movers’ of the May elections

The voting age was typically set at 21 years outdated when democratic international locations established the precise to vote. Within the Nineteen Seventies, many international locations lowered the voting age to 18. The controversy is ongoing in quite a lot of international locations on proposals to cut back the voting age to beneath 18 years outdated. Brazil, Austria, Malta and Nicaragua are the primary few international locations that lowered the voting age to 16 years outdated.

“Sufficiently old to combat, sufficiently old to vote” was a slogan utilized by American proponents of decreasing the voting age. The slogan traced its roots to World Struggle II, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the army draft age to 18. Senator Ted Kennedy was the primary to suggest amending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to decrease the voting age from 21 to 18 years outdated. On June 22, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which lowered the voting age to 18 years outdated in all federal, state, and native elections.

Within the Philippines, the 1973 Structure lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years outdated. Any Filipino citizen who’s not less than 18 years of age, a resident of the Philippines for not less than one yr, and within the place the place they intend to vote for not less than six months instantly previous the election can file an utility for registration with the Fee on Elections.

Early this month, the Comelec reported that over 37 million of the 65.7 million registered voters within the 2022 nationwide and native elections are aged 18 to 41 years outdated. “That will account for 56 % of the voting inhabitants. It is a very fascinating growth, it’s good for the nation and I believe it is very important word that the youth are the prime movers of this coming elections,” stated Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez. (Learn, “37-M youth votes could spell end result of Might 9 elections–Comelec official,” within the  BusinessMirror, February 8, 2022).

A netizen described younger voters at present as decided and courageous for “they don’t hesitate to take a stand. I consider that the Filipino youth can create a change in our nation, a change that may make the Philippines a extra progressive nation.” This robust perception within the energy of the youthful technology ought to function an inspiration for the youth to contribute for the betterment of the nation.

A la Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth) is an award-winning poem that Jose Rizal wrote when he was 18 years outdated and finding out on the College of Santo Tomas. Within the poem, Rizal stated the youth is the “honest hope of my fatherland!” He urged the youth to pursue freedom, and to free themselves from the burden of ignorance. “Increase the keen thoughts to greater station,” he stated. Rizal believed that the thoughts of the youth has nice capability and potential to be genius. In different phrases, Rizal believed that the educated youth is the hope of the motherland (Inang Bayan).

There are over 37 million younger voters going to the polls in Might. There may be motive for optimism as a result of they’re the driving force of the approaching elections. Let’s hope that these younger voters will correctly equip themselves with the data wanted to perform their noble objective of electing a frontrunner that may rework the nation for the higher. In any other case, if the extent of information in regards to the candidates is decrease than the doorstep, there isn’t any hope.