Debate between a user and Marcus Aurelius on DebateAI.org
Marcus Aurelius
Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is death actually bad for the person who dies?". Your opponent's style: Marcus Aurelius
User
THBT children should have the right to vote in referendums that effect their future points for props and opps
Marcus Aurelius
You're asking me to argue *against* child voting rights in referendums? Fine.
Children lack the cognitive development to weigh complex policy tradeoffs. Their brains don't fully mature until the mid-20s, especially the prefrontal cortex that handles consequence evaluation. A ten-year-old voting on infrastructure spending or pension policy isn't informed consent, it's chaos.
More brutal: parents would simply vote their children's proxies. You'd create 40 million new votes instantly controllable by adults. The referendum becomes a farce where household size matters more than reasoning.
And frankly, we don't let children sign contracts, drive, or work. We recognize they need protection *from* their own judgment. Voting in high-stakes referendums isn't empowerment, it's exploitation dressed up as democracy.
Why should referendum voters be less protected than contract signers?