Youth In Democracy

2005-2023 | 18 years

In this episode, Congressman Santos and Cliff pull off a political stunt that gets the Speaker to call a vote on stem cell research while the Democrats are still in town. Meanwhile, Toby and Annabeth meet with a group of kids, “The Future Leaders of Democracy”, who want to discuss lowering the voting age.

This May Montana’s legislature passed House Bill 971, which bars state legislatures from considering the effects of greenhouse gasses when deciding whether a project can go forward. A Montana judge ruled in Held v Montana that because of this the State is in violation of its resident’s right to a “clean and healthful environment”  that is laid out in the state Constitution. The case is now moving up to Montana’s Supreme Court. Besides the fact that the case is compelling because it is trying to hold a government responsible for climate change, the suit is special because it was brought forward by Our Children’s Trust, on behalf of sixteen kids that ranged from 2-18 years old. The kids are not seeking money, but rather looking for Montana to acknowledge its contribution to worsening climate change or to repeal the law keeping climate change from being considered by the state in project development.

This episode does a really good job of highlighting the concerns of younger generations. During the Future Leaders of Democracy’s meeting with Toby, they discuss younger Americans' “unique concerns”, such as underfunded schools, Social Security, and child poverty. One of the students also points out to Toby that “I’m going to be breathing the air and drinking the water after you’re long gone.” This fact is one of the reasons that younger Americans are so interested in environmental issues, but is also one of the reasons that politicians are able to turn a blind eye to them. The 117th and our current 118th Congress have been the second and third oldest in our country’s history, many of our representatives will not have to themselves grapple with the effects of climate change.

Another reason that politicians may not care much about the opinions of their younger constituents is that they are unable to vote. This lack of voting power makes it much more difficult for younger Americans to make their voices heard or hold any sway over their representatives. In the episode, the children’s group argues for the abolishment of the voting age, arguing that it will help kids be represented and encourage them to continue to vote throughout their lifetimes. While abolishing the voting age is radical, some countries like Brazil and Scotland do have lower voting ages of 16 years old.

Even if younger generations can’t vote now, it is important that we are informed. We need to know how decisions being made by our representatives today may affect us in the future so that we can hold them accountable either through advocacy or when we are old enough to vote. Shows like The West Wing are so great because help to teach younger generations more about government and politics so that we can be more informed about how our government works and can affect us.