On the 10th of February, ACE went to the Old State House in Hartford Connecticut. There were 17 students and two teachers who attended the field trip. The Old State House had a lot of original pieces from when it was still being used as the senate building. It was a very cool experience to be a part of. In a way, it was like reliving the past. 

Recently Connecticut’s senators have proposed a bill to lower the voting age, but should we really give that kind of responsibility to our teens?

ACE’s US history and English 3 classes went to the Old State House to get some more information on the matter. Their speaker had the group anonymously vote for whether or not 16/17 year olds should be able to vote. 

There were a lot of things that people learned but here are some things that stood out to the students:

Question: What was something the speaker said that was memorable to you?

“The building was haunted.” -Anonymous

“When she[the speaker] told us that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better, for example how black men lost their right to vote.” -Anonymous

“What was memorable to me was when she said that even though they were fighting for a similar goal, African American women and white women did not work together well – or often” -Anonymous

“If I can fight for this country then I can vote for it as well.” – Anonymous

“The main speaker said that 18 year olds are one of the smallest categories of votes, but if they all voted the impact would be much bigger.” -Anonymous

A majority of students also said that this experience has changed their views on voting. I asked seven students if they would vote after this experience and 5 out of 7 students said yes. A few of the students elaborated and mentioned that voting is one of the most important things you can do for your community. 

I also asked students if they think that the voting age should be lowered to 16/17 years old and five out of seven students think the voting age should remain eighteen. The general consensus was that 16/17 year olds are not mature enough to vote and that their opinions are easily influenced by the media, adults in their lives, and their peers.

But what about the people who said yes? Here is a quote that really stood out to me:

I personally think that the trip was not only a good way to get out of school, but necessary for the students here at ACE. I think it’s so important to vote and be a part of your community. It’s so easy and so impactful. This trip made me realize that if we don’t use the ability to vote, we could lose it. I encourage everyone to go out and vote because it truly does make a difference. 

The future is ours and that’s why voting is so important. Whether or not the voting age will be lowered in Connecticut, it is very important that our generation votes when the time comes. 

Many thanks to teachers Melissa and Rob for planning this great trip for us.