JD Vance Calls for Taking Away Voting Power From 'People Who Don’t Have Kids'

In the wake of becoming the GOP’s vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance has been in the middle of a storm of controversy. Old videos of his controversial statements have resurfaced, including one particularly provocative clip from 2021 where Vance suggests that Americans without children should have less say in democracy than those with children.

As per Mediaite, the clip in question, which recently went viral, features Vance speaking at the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Vance remarked, “When you go to the polls in this country, as a parent, you should have more power. You should have more of an ability to speak your voice in our democratic republic than people who don’t have kids. Let’s face the consequences and the reality. If you don’t have as much of an investment in the future of this country, maybe you shouldn’t get nearly the same voice.”

He further added, “Now people will say, and I’m sure The Atlantic and the Washington Post and all the usual suspects will criticize me about this in the coming days. Well, doesn’t this mean that non-parents don’t have as much of a voice as parents? Doesn’t this mean that parents get a bigger say in how our democracy functions? Yes, absolutely.”

Netizens were quick to express their disdain as one user wrote, “Okay then maybe the childless shouldn’t have to pay property taxes to finance local schools.” In agreement, another user added, “This guy is really dangerous.” Someone else chimed in, “He is literally against our constitution.” One user echoed a similar sentiment and remarked, “You have to seriously wonder when @JDVance says women should stay in abusive relationships, that women should have children & not have the right to vote if they don’t ~ how he actually treats his wife behind closed doors & what he’s instilling in his daughters. You don’t just say these things unless you live your life this way.”

As if this wasn’t enough, one user slammed, “This proposal raises concerns about equal representation. Every citizen, regardless of parental status, should have an equal voice in our democracy. Disenfranchising any group undermines the principles of fairness and equality.” Someone quipped, “The more JD talks, the more the polls move for Dems. I welcome this.”

The criticism hasn’t been confined to the general public. The Kamala Harris campaign quickly seized on the resurfaced clip, sharing it widely on social media. The video, now viewed millions of times, underscores Vance’s contentious stance on voting rights.

Reporter Patrick Marley weighed in and shared,  “A year before JD Vance was elected to the Senate, he advocated for a novel way to enhance the political strength of families — by giving parents the ability to cast tens of millions of additional votes on behalf of their children…would almost surely face legal challenges, experts in election law said.”

Marley continued, “It would also create logistical hurdles. Election officials would need to track which voters were eligible to cast multiple ballots and regularly update their voter rolls to account for moves, divorces, and court decisions in child custody cases.”

Moreover, the proposal has been linked to “Demeny voting,” a concept named after demographer Paul Demeny, which suggests that parents should have additional votes to represent their children’s interests. This idea, while seemingly focused on enhancing the influence of families in democratic processes, has been criticized for its potential to disenfranchise significant portions of the population, particularly those without children.