When did Georgia drop the voting age?
In 1943, Georgia became the first state to drop its minimum voting age in state and local elections from 21 to 18. 2 . 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.
What is the voting age for all states?
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. The time for the 26th Amendment had come at last.
What was the minimum voting age in 1969?
In 1969 alone, at least 60 resolutions to lower the minimum voting age were introduced—but ignored—in Congress. 4 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. While President Richard M. Nixon signed the bill, he attached a signing statement publicly expressing his opinion that the voting age provision was unconstitutional. “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.”
How long did it take for the 26th amendment to be ratified?
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. 1 Today, it stands as one of several laws protecting the right to vote . The 26th Amendment. U.S. National Archives.
What is the 26th amendment?
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. In addition, the Amendment grants Congress ...
When was the 26th amendment passed?
On March 10, 1971, the U.S. Senate voted 94-0 in favor of the proposed 26th Amendment. On March 23, 1971, the House of Representatives passed the amendment by a vote of 401-19, and the 26th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification the same day. 5
What was the purpose of the 1960s demonstrations?
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.
Which amendment lowered the voting age in the United States?
Contents. The 26 Amendment lowered the legal voting age in the United States from 21 to 18. The long debate over lowering the voting age began during World War II and intensified during the Vietnam War, when young men denied the right to vote were being conscripted to fight for their country. In the 1970 case Oregon v.
What amendment lowered the voting age?
The 26 Amendment lowered the legal voting age in the United States from 21 to 18. The long debate over lowering the voting age began during World War II and intensified during the Vietnam War, when young men denied the right to vote were being conscripted to fight for their country. In the 1970 case Oregon v. Mitchell, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the right to regulate the minimum age in federal elections, but not at the state and local level. Amid increasing support for a Constitutional amendment, Congress passed the 26th Amendment in March 1971. The states promptly ratified it, and President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law that July.
How many states did Nixon win in 1972?
Though newly minted young voters were expected to choose Democratic challenger George McGovern, an opponent of the Vietnam War, Nixon was reelected by an overwhelming margin–winning 49 states–in 1972. Over the next decades, the legacy of the 26th Amendment was a mixed one: After a 55.4 percent turnout in 1972, youth turnout steadily declined, reaching 36 percent in the 1988 presidential election. Though the 1992 election of Bill Clinton saw a slight rebound, voting rates of 18- to 24-year-olds remained well behind the turnout of older voters, and many lamented that America’s young people were squandering their opportunities to enact change. The 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama saw a voter turnout of some 49 percent of 18- to 24 year-olds, the second highest in history.
How long did it take for the 26th amendment to be ratified?
After an overwhelming House vote in favor on March 23, the 26th Amendment went to the states for ratification. In just over two months –the shortest period of time for any amendment in U.S. history–the necessary three-fourths of state legislatures (or 38 states) ratified the 26th Amendment.
What is the meaning of Amendment XXVI?
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age. Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Why did the 1960s have marches?
In the late 1960s, with the United States embroiled in a long, costly war in Vietnam, youth voting rights activists held marches and demonstrations to draw lawmakers’ attention to the hypocrisy of drafting young men who lacked the right to vote.
When was the 26th amendment passed?
Amid increasing support for a Constitutional amendment, Congress passed the 26th Amendment in March 1971. The states promptly ratified it, and President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law that July.
When did the voting age go down?
Debate continued throughout the 1960s as the nation's military involvement in Vietnam intensified. In 1970, the United States Congress amended the Voting Rights Act to lower the voting age nationwide to 18.
When did Georgia lower the voting age?
In 1943 , Georgia became the first state in the nation to lower its voting age to 18. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower voiced his support for lowering the voting age. "For years our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have, in time of peril, been summoned to fight for America.
What is the minimum age to vote?
In the United States, citizens attain the right to vote at the age of 18. The minimum voting age was established by the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified in 1971; consequently, states are prohibited from adopting higher minimum voting ages. However, some states permit 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the time of the subsequent general election.
What is the voting age in 2016?
This amendment prohibits states from raising the minimum voting age. For the 2016 election cycle, in 15 states, 17-year-olds who would be 18 by the time of the general election were permitted to vote in that state's congressional primaries .
Why should 16 year olds be allowed to vote?
Generally, proponents of this policy contend that 16-year-olds should be granted the right to vote because they are subject to the same laws and pay the same taxes as older individuals. Further, proponents suggest that lowering the voting age may have a positive impact on voter turnout and civic participation.
How old do you have to be to vote in 2021?
HIGHLIGHTS. As of February 9, 2021, in 17 states, 17- year-olds turning 18 by the time of the general election were permitted to vote in that year's congressional primaries. In 19 states, 17-year-olds could vote in the presidential primaries and/or caucuses of both major parties.
How old do you have to be to vote in the primaries?
Voting in primaries at 17 years old. See also: Voting in primaries at 17 years old. In several states, 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the time of the next general election are permitted to vote in that year's primaries and caucuses.
When was the voting age lowered to 16?
A report suggesting that consideration be given to reducing the voting age to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra, Australia was tabled in the territorial legislature on 26 September 2007 and defeated. In 2015, federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said that the voting age should be lowered to 16.
What states have a lower voting age?
During the 2000s several proposals for a reduced voting age were put forward in U.S. states, including California, Florida and Alaska, but none were successful. In Oregon, Senate Joint Resolution 22 has been introduced to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16.
What was the major reforms in Wales?
It included increasing the size of the Assembly, adapting/ changing the electoral system and of course reducing the age of voting to 16.
What age do you have to vote in Luxembourg?
Luxembourg has compulsory voting from the age of 18. A proposal by the government to introduce optional voting for those aged 16 and 17 was rejected by 81% of voters in a June 2015 referendum .
What was the voting age in Austria in 2007?
Austria. In 2007, Austria became the first member of the European Union to adopt a voting age of 16 for most purposes. The voting age had been reduced in Austria from 19 to 18 at all levels in 1992. At that time a voting age of 16 was proposed by the Green Party, but was not adopted.
How old are the people of Alabama and Nebraska?
However, the majority age in Alabama and Nebraska is 19, and that of Mississippi is 21, thus 18-year-old Alabamians and Nebraskans, and 18 to 20-year-old Mississippians are minors according to respective state laws; they are the only underage people eligible to register or vote in their states.
How old do you have to be to vote in Brazil?
Brazil lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 in the 1988 constitution. The presidential election of 1989 was the first with the lower voting age. People between the ages 18 and 70 are required to vote. The person must be 16 full years old on or before 31 May of that election year (In years without election, the person must be 16 full years old on or before 31 December). If their date of birth is 1 June or after, it occurs in the year they turn 17 years old. If they turn 18 years old after the election, the vote isn’t compulsory. When they turn 18 years old before the election, the vote is compulsory. When they turn 16 years old on 1 June or after, they mustn’t vote.
