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eager and we are idealistic. We are not
experienced in the ways of an adult society,
however, because we have not worn the
mantle of responsibility, have not faced up
to and made the sobering decisions that
face the adult as he lives through mar-
riage, family responsibility, home owner-
ship, business investments, and tax burdens.
Generally speaking, the average, intelli-
gent person needs the three year period
from age eighteen to twenty-one to learn
to form his own opinions after experiencing
the direct effect of the laws which govern
individuals when they enter, independently,
the unsheltered, often iconoclastic business
world. This is the period of real initiation
into adulthood, the formative "polishing"
years. It is during this period, while one is
gaining experience with real responsibility,
that a person can begin to bring some criti-
cal, unemotional, knowledgeable insight to
bear on the mass of attractive, emotional
"propaganda" which is widely disseminated
to the electorate at campaign time.
Imagine the impact that trained propa-
gandists would have on eighteen- to twenty-
year-old voters simply because these young-
people lack experience in "being on their
own," socially and financially. Strong politi-
cal factions, special interest groups, par-
ents, schools, and the mass media, particu-
larly television, would exert subtle but
effective pressures on a new mass of voters
whose idealisms have not been tempered
by practical experience. If we are troubled
today by the concept of "image" and the
impact of appearance and personality on
the potential success of a political candi-
date, would we not invite more "that
glitters but is not gold", more of the al-
ready-present subterfuge tactics in poli-
tics, by admitting to the polls an influx of
voters who are bound, by their lack of
experience, to be a relatively indiscrimi-
nate, though well-intentioned, addition to
the electorate.
I do not mean to say that none of our
youths, age eighteen to twenty-one, has
gained the experience and maturity neces-
sary to cast discriminate votes. Some have
attained maturity beyond their years. How-
ever, rule-making in this area is necessary
and it often involves a line-drawing proc-
ess. Drawing the line at age twenty-one
has been the established tradition in the
vast majority — forty-six — of our states.
The idea has not been that we do not need
a more educated electorate. We certainly
do need more educated voters and cer-
tainly modern youth becomes constantly
more educated than previous generations;
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but, rather, the idea has been that a cer-
tain premium is placed on experience
which cannot be displaced by mere "book
learning". Another way to say it would
be to say that a man's education only be-
gins when he has completed high school.
This type of approach is reflected in
many areas of our law.
THE CHAIRMAN: Your time has ex-
pired, Delegate Finch.
DELEGATE FINCH: Mr. Chairman,
you have been patient as an ox during this
Convention, and I hope you allow me to
finish my two sentences.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Rybczynski
controls the time.
DELEGATE FINCH: Ask him if that
would be satisfactory.
THE CHAIRMAN: His time is so cir-
cumscribed. You had better let it go at this
time, your one sentence.
DELEGATE FINCH: And the status of
minors affects purchase of alcoholic bev-
erages, entrance into legal contracts, and
entrance into marriage, to name a few
areas of discretionary control. The empha-
sis in these areas is on judgment and so it
should be, most particularly, when voting
age is considered.
I urge that the voting age be maintained
at twenty-one for the reasons stated, and
assert my belief that this prudent action
will preserve a wiser, more responsible
electorate.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Ross.
DELEGATE KOSS: Mr. Chairman, I
yield three minutes to Delegate Dabrowski.
DELEGATE DABROWSKI: Mr. Chair-
man, ladies and gentlemen of the Commit-
tee: I will not attempt to make any corre-
lation between the voting age and the drink-
ing age, the age of majority, or the fighting-
age. Instead I will attempt to appeal to
your intelligence and your logic.
I am confident that you all realize that
with higher education more readily avail-
able to our young people, we have presently
the most informed society in the history of
mankind. In fact, with higher education
more readily available and more accessible
in the future, in the next twenty to fifty
years we may have a society of intellectual
giants.
I am also confident you realize we live in
a very complex society and that this com-
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