Lower the Voting Age to 13

The United States is facing a major crisis ¿ the loss of its democracy. At the core of this loss is the problem of youth apathy. Most young people just don't care. They seem to believe that the government and its policies don't really affect them or that the whole process is out of their hands. This however is only true when people are inclined to think that way. That is why we propose lowering the voting age in the US to the age of 13. We feel that if teenagers and young adults believe they are 1) important, 2) in control of their own lives and futures, and 3) part of the nation and their community, that the crisis of youth apathy will diminish greatly, or even disappear, voter turn out will increase (especially as this youth turns into the older generation), and our democracy will be enhanced in this country by injecting into it a new view, that of the young. Thank you.