in_the_media

Is 16 old enough to vote? Perhaps so, says Steinberg

Media Outlet: 

National Public Radio

If you're old enough to drive, are you old enough to vote? You soon will be if you live in Takoma Park, Md. The Washington suburb has extended voting rights in municipal elections to 16 and 17-year-olds. Voting is something younger teenagers should be able to handle, says Temple psychologist Laurence Steinberg, an expert in adolescent brain development. "Adolescents are probably just as good as adults at really taking information and making a logical decision about it," he said. "That doesn't mean they'll always do it logically, but neither do adults."