Who supported the 26th Amendment and why?
Who supported it? Some of those who supported it were: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon, Sen. Roz Baker, the National Education Association (NEA) Student Program and the NEA Representative Assembly's with its thousands of nationwide allies, the California Teacher Association (CTA), the CTA Student Association, YMCA, AFL-CIO and NAACP.
What are the reasons why the 26th amendment was ratified?
Why was the 26th Amendment ratified? On this date, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. In the turmoil surrounding the unpopular Vietnam War, lowering the national voting age became a controversial topic. The Supreme Court upheld the legislation in a 5 to 4 vote in applying the lowered voting age to federal elections only.
What is the 26th Amendment and why was it adopted?
26th Amendment. reduced the mandatory voting age to 18 years. right of US citizens. who are 18 yrs of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the US or by any state on account of age. The Congress. shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Proposed. March 23, 1971.
What war was the reason the 26th Amendment?
Weegy: To lower the voting age from 21 to 18, was the reason to create the 26th amendment. Weegy: The end result of the Vietnam war was that the whole of Vietnam was united under communist rule.
When was the 26th amendment ratified?
The state legislatures in Ohio and North Carolina were the last to approve the amendment before official ratification took effect on July 1, 1971. With the 1972 elections looming, the 26th Amendment was ratified in record time. The Richard M. Nixon administration certified it four days later on July 5.
What amendment was passed to lower the voting age?
On this date, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. In the turmoil surrounding the unpopular Vietnam War, lowering the national voting age became a controversial topic. Responding to arguments that those old enough to be drafted for military service, should be able to exercise the right to vote, Congress lowered ...
When was the voting age lowered to 18?
Endorsed by Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma, the amendment passed the House by a vote of 401 to 19, on March 23, 1971 .
When was the Twenty Sixth Amendment ratified?
Ratification was completed on July 1, 1971, after the amendment had been ratified by the following thirty-eight states: Connecticut: March 23, 1971 .
Who signed the Twenty Sixth Amendment?
On July 5, 1971, the Administrator of General Services, Robert Kunzig, certified its adoption. President Nixon and Julianne Jones, Joseph W. Loyd Jr., and Paul S. Larimer of the "Young Americans in Concert" also signed the certificate as witnesses. During the signing ceremony, held in the East Room of the White House, Nixon talked about his confidence in the youth of America.
What amendment did Mitchell propose?
Recognizing the confusion and costs that would be involved in maintaining separate voting rolls and elections for federal and state contests, Congress quickly proposed and the states ratified the Twenty-sixth Amendment .
Which amendment allowed Congress to pass legislation lowering the voting age?
During debate of the 1970 extension of the Voting Rights Act, Senator Ted Kennedy argued that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment allowed Congress to pass national legislation lowering the voting age. In Katzenbach v. Morgan (1966), the Supreme Court had ruled that if Congress acts to enforce the 14th Amendment by passing a law declaring that a type of state law discriminates against a certain class of persons, the Supreme Court will let the law stand if the justices can "perceive a basis" for Congress's actions.
What amendment was passed in 1970 to allow 18 year olds to vote?
Mitchell that Congress could not lower the voting age for state and local elections. Recognizing the confusion and costs that would be involved in maintaining separate voting rolls and elections for federal and state contests, Congress quickly proposed and the states ratified the Twenty-sixth Amendment.
When was the voting age lowered?
It was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and three-fourths of the states ratified it by July 1, 1971. Various public officials had supported lowering the voting age during the mid-20th century, but were unable to gain the legislative momentum necessary for passing a constitutional amendment.
What is the 20th amendment?
The Twenty-sixth Amendment ( Amendment XXVI) to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States who are at least eighteen years old. It was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and three-fourths of the states ratified it by July 1, 1971.
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 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 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 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.
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 significance of the 26th amendment?
26th Amendment: Significance. The greatest impact of the 26th Amendment is that it gives younger people a voice in governmental representation and participation. By allowing people 18-20 years of age to participate in local, state, and federal elections, the amendment brings more people into the democratic process.
What is the 26th Amendment?
As a result of widespread protests, Congress voted unanimously to amend the Constitution by ratifying the 26th Amendment, defined as lowering the minimum voting age to 18 from 21 at the local, state, and federal levels. Though the law was largely motivated by military practices, it has since also allowed younger generations more broadly to have a voice in elections and political representation.
What amendment lowered the voting age to 18?
The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18, securing voting rights for those soldiers and their peers. In 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified in less than four months, the shortest time ever taken to complete this process.
How many times has the 26th amendment been passed?
This full amendment process has happened 27 times in United States history. The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 by giving the United States government the power to enforce a minimum voting age.
When was the voting age lowered?
The voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 when the 26th Amendment was ratified by Congress and the States in 1971.
When was the 26th amendment ratified?
In response, Congress drafted and voted on the 26th Amendment before sending it to the States, where the bill was ratified less than four months later in 1971. The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18 at the federal, state, and local levels.
Which amendment to the Constitution says that neither the federal nor state governments may deny someone the right to vote based on?
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution says that neither the federal nor state governments may deny someone the right to vote based on age, effectively lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
What is the 26th amendment?
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution was a result of student activism and demonstrations against the Vietnam War.
Which amendment would be the quickest to be ratified in United States history?
The 26th Amendment would be the quickest to be ratified in United States history. The question of standardized voting age had been briefly addressed even before activism would begin against the Vietnam War.
What is the minimum age to vote?
Even though the age to participate in voting was generally twenty-one, certain states imposed their own requirements for voting age, setting the minimum to eighteen. The 26th Amendment would finally address the voting age concern and standardized the minimum age requirement to eighteen.
When did Nixon raise the voting age?
President Nixon would sign into law an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that would effectively enact the voting age minimum of eighteen. On June 22, 1970, President Nixon signed into law the lowering of the voting age to eighteen for all Federal, state, and local elections.
How old was the voting age in 1972?
Mitchell, the United States Supreme Court would enforce the voting age of eighteen for Federal elections and allowed eighteen-year- old individuals to vote in the 1972 Presidential and Congressional elections.
When was the 26th amendment ratified?
The short answer is that when the 26th Amendment was proposed and ratified, 1971, the country was still drafting young men and sending them off to war (in Vietnam). It was agreed by most that if they could die for their country, they should be able to vote for it (and for those who made the decisions to send them to die).
Which amendment would prevent future constitutional amendments from interfering with slavery?
The Corwin Amendment, which would prevent future constitutional amendments from interfering with slavery. Proposed in 1861 and currently ratified by up to 3 states, depending on how you view certain irregularities. It is extremely unlikely to be ratified by more states because we view slavery as abhorrent and because the prior adoption of the 13th Amendment renders it moot.
What amendment would set limits on the size of House districts?
The Congressional Apportionment Amendment, which would set bounds on the sizes of House districts. Proposed in 1789 and currently ratified by 11 states. It is unlikely to be ratified by more states because a scrivener's error in the text renders it meaningless at today's population levels.
What is the title of noble amendment?
The Titles of Nobility Amendment, which would denaturalize citizens who accept foreign titles of nobility. Proposed in 1810 and currently ratified by 12 states. It is unlikely to be ratified by more states because few people today have much outrage over the acceptance of foreign awards, and because we generally disfavor denaturalization as a penalty.
Why can't the Constitution contain all answers?
Because the Framers of the Constitution didn’t want people in the future to be bound to the chains of the past, especially since they knew they could never account for every contingency and future problem in one document. There’s a great John Marshall opinion where he discusses this dilemma at some length. He states roughly, a document that tries to foresee every problem, both present and future, would be infinite complex and impossible. Therefore, the Constitution cannot contain all answers or the solutions but must be flexible enough to be changed, to deal with problems beyond the imaginatio
What did the opposition argue about voting?
The opposition argued that voting required a certain level of maturity (education, intelligence, whatever) that 18-year-olds lacked.
Why did the voting age change in Vietnam?
In the turmoil surrounding the unpopular Vietnam War, lowering the national voting age became a controversial topic. Responding to arguments that those old enough to be drafted for military service, should be able to exercise the right to vote, Congress lowered the voting age as part of the Voting Rights Act of 1970.
Presidential & Congressional Support For The 26th Amendment
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, who led the U.S. armed forces to victory in Europe in 1945, later became the first president to publicly voice his support for a constitutional amendment lowering the minimum voting age. In his 1954 State of the Union address, Eisenhower declared: “For years ou…
Supreme Court Decision on The 26th Amendment
- In the 1970 case Oregon v. Mitchell, the U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with reviewing the constitutionality of the provision. Justice Hugo Black wrote the majority decision in the case, which held that Congress did not have the right to regulate the minimum age in State and local elections, but only in federal elections. The issue left the Court seriously divided: Four justices, n…
Passage, Ratification and Effects of The 26th Amendment
- On March 10, 1971, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously in favor of the proposed amendment. 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 Amend…
Text of The 26 Amendment
- 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.
Overview
The Twenty-sixth Amendment (Amendment XXVI) to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States who are at least eighteen years old. It was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and three-fourths of the states ratified it by July 1, 1971.
Text
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Background
Senator Harley Kilgore began advocating for a lowered voting age in 1941 in the 77th Congress. Despite the support of fellow senators, representatives, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Congress failed to pass any national change. However, public interest in lowering the voting age became a topic of interest at the local level. In 1943 and 1955 respectively, the Georgia and Kentucky legislatures approved measures to lower the voting age to 18.
Proposal and ratification
Senator Birch Bayh's subcommittee on constitutional amendments began hearings on extending voting rights to 18 year-olds in 1968.
After Oregon v. Mitchell, Bayh surveyed election officials in 47 states and found that registering an estimated 10 million young people in a separate system for federal elections would cost approximately $20 million. Bayh concluded that …
See also
• Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (1870, extending vote to non-white men)
• Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (1920, women's right to vote)
External links
• CRS Annotated Constitution: Twenty-sixth Amendment
• Eric Fish, The Twenty-sixth Amendment Enforcement Power