Voting rights for all

Today, civil rights discussions rarely focus on the ballot. Most people consider a debate about voting rights an anachronism in 2006, as women and minorities have been enfranchised for many generations now. Though some recognize the unjustness of certain minor departures from the norm, like the disenfranchisement of ex-felons in certain states, few would argue that a fundamental reconsideration of the democratic process is necessary. However, there is a class of people in the United States whose interests are excluded from the political process: children. The solution to this problem is not simply to give children the right to vote. Instead, we ought to allow parents to cast proxy votes for their children. In two-parent households, each parent would get half a vote for each child under the age of 18, and in other situations, like divorce or foster care, the child's primary caregiver would get an extra vote.

The most important part of an election is to accurately collect and weigh the accumulated interests of a society. It would be nice if we could expect everyone to study the candidates and come to an informed decision, but we rightfully dismiss that as impossible. More critical than any sort of nuanced understanding of the issues is simply having your interests represented in the political process. Our current practices reflect this belief: states can't test a person's knowledge of the issues (or even an ability to read) as a prerequisite to voting.

When elections count only the interests of adults, then a group that has highly-correlated interests — children — are not adequately represented within the system. Whenever groups with similar interests are excluded from the political process, public policy is formulated without taking their views into account. Under Jim Crow, African-Americans were forced to use segregated and dilapidated facilities, and yet they could not vote for those who would fight for change. Today, the causes that most affect children and families are generally underfunded and mismanaged. Our nation's public education system is woefully inadequate. Many families lack access to health care for their kids. When environmental regulations are considered, Congress seems always willing to sacrifice the future in order to save a few jobs today. These problems stem from America's failure to enfranchise children.

The solution to this dilemma is not to give children themselves the right to vote, as they lack the capacity to act in their own best interests. Instead, we should give the responsibility to their parents, just as we trust the parents to make decisions that affect their children's welfare in nearly all other situations. Parents choose what type of education and medical treatment their kids will receive, and they make infinite other mundane decisions that influence their child's wellbeing on a day-today basis. Furthermore, most parents already vote with their children's best interests in mind. In general, couples with children are more likely to vote for increased educational spending than couples without children. The problem is that elections should not only find what interests exist, but also weigh those interests accordingly. As it is, a childless couple and two parents both get to cast two votes, even if the parents are voting in the interests of themselves and their four children.

In a country in which children were fully represented, both Democrats and Republicans would shift ideology in such a way as to maximize their appeal to the new pool of votes. This would lead to increased attention on schools, health care, the environment and other issues that predominantly affect children and families. Without this fundamental change, neither political party has any incentive to be concerned about those whose interests aren't counted. Though America is a long way from realizing this plan, the fight for equal voting rights is not over. The unjustified exclusion of children from the political process must end. Jason Sheltzer is a molecular biology major from St. Davids, Pa. He can be reached at sheltzer@princeton.edu.