Letter: Why not raise the voting age?

A recent Harry’s Gang column in the Cloquet Pine Knot News addressed the topic of who should be allowed to vote. Most of the article focused on criminal activity as it pertains to voting rights being restricted.

What I found interesting was the fact that the author asked some people if 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote. I think the question should be: Should 18-year-olds continue to be allowed to vote?

Recently both Duluth and Hermantown have raised the age to purchase tobacco goods to 21. The Minnesota Department of Health website reads: “Raising the minimum tobacco sales age to 21 would limit youth access to tobacco until age 21, when the portion of the brain responsible for rational decision-making is more fully developed.” Using that logic and assuming we want our voters to be rational decision makers, would it not make more sense to raise the voting age to 21?