Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. File, Thom. A US Senate report cited student activism and protests as reasons for lowering the voting age to 18 in the 1970s during the Vietnam War: “We must channel these energies into our political system and give young people the real opportunity to influence our society in a peaceful and constructive manner.” “It was deemed to be unfair that an 18-year-old could be drafted into service and die in battle when they couldn’t even vote,” says Swint. Tens of thousands of young Americans were drafted into the military for the Vietnam War, and the Korean and other wars before that, when they turned 18. “They should participate in the political process that produces this fateful summons.”. Bush. Democracy is defined by the ability of people to choose their representatives on their own. How the US Electoral College System Works, Why Georgia? With so many young men and women being sent to war—but still denied the right to vote—more states began to demand a constitutional amendment establishing a uniform national voting age of 18 for all elections in all states. In 1969 alone, at least 60 resolutions to lower the minimum voting age were introduced—but ignored—in Congress. File, Thom. Despite attempts to exclude us from the political … Greenhaven Press, 2010. It provides news and analysis of, by, and for the labor and democratic movements to our readers across the country and around the world. The Court’s ruling meant that while 18- to 20-year-olds would be eligible to vote for president and vice president, they could not vote for state or local officials who were up for election on the ballot at the same time.

Just a little more than two months later, on July 1, 1971, the necessary three-fourths (38) of state legislatures had ratified the 26th Amendment. The voting age was 21 until the turbulant 1960s. People’s World is a voice for progressive change and socialism in the United States. 3, July 2020, pp. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. While President Richard M. Nixon signed the bill, he attached a signing statement publicly expressing his opinion that the voting age provision was unconstitutional. After a high turnout of approximately 50% in the 1972 election, the youth vote steadily declined and dropped to a low of 36% in the 1988 presidential election that was won by Republican George H.W.

For years, Americans have not been allowed to register until they reach the age of 18. “Although I strongly favor the 18-year-old vote,” Nixon stated, “I believe—along with most of the nation’s leading constitutional scholars—that Congress has no power to enact it by simple statute, but rather it requires a constitutional amendment.”. Springer, Melanie Jean. Can Immigrants Vote in Federal, State, or Local Elections? 32, no.

Where People Convicted of Felonies Can Vote in the U.S. How Many Years Can a President Serve in the White House? In addition, the Amendment grants Congress the power to “enforce” that prohibition through “appropriate legislation.”. Prior to the Civil War, federal laws didn’t mention a voting age. Deputies capture fugitive work-release escapee from Gwinnett County, sheriff says, Georgia teachers' association files suit against the state over school reopenings, Eyewall of Hurricane Delta moving onshore, Atlanta Gladiators to suspend 2020-21 season due to pandemic, Shocking allegations from Pearl River priest's arrest last week, Amazon to kick off holiday shopping with October Prime Day, House members describe 'misery,' accounts of coerced contraceptive injections at Irwin County facility, Metro Atlanta sheriff to fire corrections officer for calling inmate 'crazy N-word'. “Looking at other social movements helping open up American society, it’s not surprising young people would make the push,” says Gillespie. United States Census Bureau, 10 May 2017. “The reason I believe that your generation, the 11 million new voters, will do so much for America at home is that you will infuse into this nation some idealism, some courage, some stamina, some high moral purpose, that this country always needs,” Nixon declared. “It took the Vietnam conflict, which brought so much change in this country,” says Kennesaw State Political Science Professor Kerwin Swint. Despite a slight increase in the 1992 election of Democrat Bill Clinton, the voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds continued to lag far behind that of older voters. 96–103. United States House of Representatives. Still, at least millions of young people continue to be disenfranchised, either due to increasingly draconian voter identification laws or a lack of citizenship. "National Mortality Profile of Active Duty Personnel in the U.S. Armed Forces: 1980-1993." Indeed, American service members under the age of 24 accounted for half of all those killed in action during the Vietnam War, including many as young as 18., In 1969 alone, at least 60 resolutions to lower the minimum voting age were introduced—but ignored—in Congress. In 1970, Congress finally passed a bill extending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that included a provision lowering the minimum voting age to 18 in all federal, state and local elections. “Why Georgia? Thus the need for the actual change to the Constitution arose. Women were added in 1920. A Curious and Unappreciated Pioneer on the Road to Early Youth Enfranchisement in the United States.” Journal of Policy History, vol. How Many Electoral Votes Does a Candidate Need to Win? On this date in 1971, President Richard Nixon, under popular pressure, formally certified the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.

Take control of the means of news production. In the end, McGovern, from North Dakota, won only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. The U.S. military drafted 18-year-olds into service during World War II and Korea with no change to the voting age. We are one week from the deadline to register to vote in the 2020 Presidential election. On this date in 1971, President Richard Nixon, under popular pressure, formally certified the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. Despite the overwhelming demand and support for the 26th Amendment at the time, its post-adoption effect on voting trends has been mixed. United States Census Bureau, 2014. However, the minimum voting age remained at 21 in most states until the 1950s, when WWII hero and President Dwight D. Eisenhower threw his support behind lowering it. Young people are already participating in politics. Some of the same people who vigorously protested the United States’ involvement in Vietnam began pushing Congress to lower the voting age … In 1943 and 1955 respectively, the Georgia and Kentucky legislatures passed measures to lower the voting age to 18. The time for the 26th Amendment had come at last. During the late 1960s, demonstrations against America’s long and costly involvement in the Vietnam War began to bring the hypocrisy of drafting 18-year-olds while denying them the right to vote to the attention of Congress. Many political experts expected the newly franchised young voters to help Democrat George McGovern, a staunch opponent of the Vietnam War, defeat Nixon in the 1972 election. "The 26th Amendment." Senator Harley Kilgore began advocating for a lowered voting age in 1941 in the 77th Congress.

This discrepancy spurred a nationwide youth voting rights movement mobilized under the slogan “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” In 1943, Georgia became the first state to drop its minimum voting age in state and local elections from 21 to 18.. Some of the same people who vigorously protested the United States’ involvement in Vietnam began pushing Congress to lower the voting age to 18. Most recently, people aged 18 through 21 played a huge role in electing the current administration. The 26th Amendment: Voting Rights for 18-Year-Olds. Lowering the voting age would create more democracy. Growing fears that young Americans were wasting their hard-fought right for the opportunity to enact change were calmed somewhat when the 2008 presidential election—won by Democrat Barack Obama—saw a turnout of some 52% of 18- to 29-year-olds, one of the highest in history., In the 2016 election of Republican Donald Trump, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a turnout of 46% among 18- to 29-year-olds.. Just a year later, in the 1970 case of Oregon v. Mitchell, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with Nixon, ruling in a 5-4 decision that Congress had the power to regulate the minimum age in federal elections but not in state and local elections. International Women's Suffrage Timeline: 1851-Present, Voting Requirements for Elections in the United States. The complete text of the 26th Amendment states: The 26th Amendment was incorporated into the Constitution just three months and eight days after Congress sent it to the states for ratification, thus making it the quickest amendment to be ratified. Today, it stands as one of several laws protecting the right to vote. The military began drafting young men to fight in an unpopular war. Blend Images - Hill Street Studios / Getty Images, The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution bars the federal government, as well as all state and local governments, from using age as a justification for denying the right to vote to any citizen of the United States who is at least 18 years of age. Amendment XXVI: Lowering the Voting Age. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Publication, no. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Passage and Ratification of the 26th Amendment, Oregon v. Mitchell: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact. While the 26th Amendment moved forward at light-speed once it was submitted to the States, getting it to that point took nearly 30 years. Despite the support of fellow senators, representatives, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Congress failed to pass any national change. "Voting in America: A Look at the 2016 Presidential Election."

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