Young Peoples Human Rights and the Politics of Voting Age [Paperback]

Young Peoples Human Rights and The Politics of Voting Age explores the broader societal implications of voting age eligibility requirements and the legislative bar against youth voting in North America and in Commonwealth countries (where youth is defined as persons 16 and over but under age 18). The issue is raised as to whether the denial of the youth vote undermines democratic principles and values and ultimately the human dignity of youth. This is the first book to address the topic of the youth vote in-depth as a fundamental human rights concern relating to the entitlement in a democracy to societal participation and inclusion in influencing policy and law which profoundly affects ones life. Also examined are international perspectives on the issue of voting age eligibility. The book would be extremely valuable for instructional purposes as one of the primary texts in undergraduate or graduate courses on childrens human rights, political psychology, political science , sociology of law or society and as a supplementary text for courses on human rights or constitutional law and would be of interest also to members of the general public concerned with childrens human rights issues.

The broader societal implications of voting age requirements is explored in this in-depth overview, in addition to the legislative bar against youth voting in North America and in Commonwealth countries. The text uniquely addresses the youth vote as a fundamental human rights concern.Part I Alternative Philosophical Perspectives on the Origin and Nature of Human Rights.- Part II Examples of Contextual Factors in the Youth Struggle for the Vote.- Part III The Human Rights Imperative and Minimum Voting Age.- Part IV: Austria and the Vote at 16.- Part V The U.K. Example of Resistance to the Vote at 16: The U.K. Electoral Commissions and Social Scientists.- Part VI: The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Does it Really Make Age DiscriminatlC3