Simone Lawson
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXVI, was ratified on July 1, 1971. The amendment lowered the voting age for all Americans to eighteen years, having previously been twenty-one. The amendment addressed one of the larger domestic controversies that had emerged amid the Cold War, with the Vietnam War and conscription of young men below the voting age of twenty-one renewing debates over lowering the voting age.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date proposed by Congress | March 23, 1971 |
| Date passed by Congress | March 1971 |
| Date ratified | July 1, 1971 |
| Voting age before the amendment | 21 |
| Voting age after the amendment | 18 |
| Number of Americans enfranchised | 11 million |
| Number of states ratifying the amendment | 38 |
| Percentage of 18 to 29-year-old voters in the 1972 elections | 55% |
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What You'll Learn
The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18
The 26th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on July 1, 1971, lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years. The Amendment text reads: "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." This amendment addressed a long-standing controversy and ensured that all Americans aged 18 and above gained the right to vote.
The movement to lower the voting age gained momentum in the 1940s, with the earliest calls for change endorsed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1942, during World War II, Congress lowered the minimum age for the draft into the military to 18, creating a discrepancy where young men were fighting for their country but denied the right to vote. This led to the powerful slogan "old enough to fight, old enough to vote", which became a rallying cry for youth voting rights.
The Vietnam War in the 1960s further galvanised the movement, as young men and women were being conscripted to fight in a conflict they had no political authority to influence. The increasing number of young Americans graduating high school, attending college, and engaging in political activism also contributed to a growing awareness of the process of crafting laws and Constitutional amendments.
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower added momentum to the cause by urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment allowing 18-year-olds to vote. In 1970, Senator Ted Kennedy proposed amending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to lower the voting age nationally. Despite facing legal challenges, the 26th Amendment was swiftly passed by Congress and ratified by three-quarters of the states by July 1, 1971, demonstrating the determination of youth activists and their allies to secure voting rights for 18-year-olds.
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The Amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971
The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, also known as Amendment XXVI, was ratified on July 1, 1971. This amendment lowered the voting age for all Americans from 21 to 18 years, with the official text stating:
> "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. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
The drive to lower the voting age emerged in the 1940s, with the earliest Congressional proposals being endorsed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The movement gained momentum in 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower called upon Congress to propose a constitutional amendment permitting citizens to vote at the age of 18. However, it was the Vietnam War that became a pivotal catalyst for change, as young men and women were being drafted to fight for their country at 18 but were denied the right to vote. This discrepancy gave rise to the powerful slogan, "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote."
The 26th Amendment was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and swiftly ratified by three-fourths of the states by July 1 of that same year. The amendment addressed a significant domestic controversy of the Cold War era and standardised the minimum voting age across all states and federal elections. In doing so, it ensured that almost 11 million Americans gained the right to vote, marking a pivotal moment in American history by empowering students and young people to express themselves politically on an unprecedented scale.
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The Vietnam War and draft protests influenced the Amendment
The 26th Amendment to the US Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, was influenced by the Vietnam War and draft protests. The amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971, and addressed one of the larger domestic controversies of the Cold War era.
During the Vietnam War, many young men who were ineligible to vote were conscripted to fight, lacking any political authority to influence the government's decision to send them to war. This discrepancy between the draft age and the voting age led to protests and lobbying efforts by activists, particularly those from the National Education Association and their allies. The slogan ""old enough to fight, old enough to vote"" encapsulated the sentiment of these protests, which called for a reduction in the voting age to match the draft age.
The dissatisfaction with the situation, where young men were facing conscription without the right to vote, built support for a Constitutional amendment that would standardize the voting age at 18 across all elections. This amendment was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and ratified by three-fourths of the states by July 1, 1971.
The drive to lower the voting age had gained momentum during the 1960s, with increasing public opposition to the Vietnam War and a growing youth rights movement. The escalation of the war and the mobilization of constituents led to a constitutional amendment being passed. Young people's participation in the civil rights movement and other social and political change movements of the 1950s and 1960s also contributed to the rise in support for a lower voting age.
In conclusion, the 26th Amendment, which guaranteed 18-year-olds the right to vote in all elections, was influenced by the Vietnam War and draft protests. The discrepancy between the draft age and the voting age led to protests and lobbying efforts, which ultimately contributed to the passage of the amendment that standardized the voting age at 18.
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Congress proposed the Amendment in March 1971
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXVI, was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and ratified on July 1, 1971. It established the right of citizens of the United States who are eighteen years of age or older to vote, stating that this right "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age." The Twenty-sixth Amendment addressed one of the larger domestic controversies that had emerged amid the Cold War and the Vietnam War.
The drive to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 gained momentum during the 1960s, driven in part by the military draft for the Vietnam War. Young men between the ages of 18 and 21 were being conscripted to serve in the United States Armed Forces and fight in a conflict that they had no political authority to vote on. This discrepancy led to the slogan "old enough to fight, old enough to vote," which became a rallying cry for a youth voting rights movement. The increasing number of young Americans graduating high school, going to college, and engaging in political and social activism also contributed to a growing national awareness of the process of crafting laws and Constitutional amendments.
In 1968, President Johnson proposed an immediate national grant of the right to vote to 18-year-olds, and in 1970, Senator Ted Kennedy proposed amending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to lower the voting age nationally. On June 22, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act that included a provision lowering the voting age to 18 in all federal, state, and local elections. However, the constitutionality of this provision was challenged in the Supreme Court case of Oregon v. Mitchell, which ruled that Congress could only set the minimum voting age for federal elections, not state or local elections.
Recognizing the confusion and costs of maintaining separate voting rolls and elections for federal and state contests, Congress quickly proposed the Twenty-sixth Amendment to standardize the voting age at the state and federal levels. The amendment was passed by both chambers of Congress and sent out to the states for ratification. In just over two months, the requisite three-quarters of state legislatures (38 states) ratified the amendment, which officially went into effect on July 1, 1971. The Twenty-sixth Amendment enfranchised nearly 11 million Americans who were now old enough to vote, bringing the highest number of 18 to 29-year-old voters to the polls in American history during the 1972 elections.
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The Amendment faced legal challenges and Supreme Court cases
The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, was ratified on July 1, 1971. The Amendment faced legal challenges and Supreme Court cases, including Oregon v. Mitchell, which was heard by the Supreme Court in 1970.
In Oregon v. Mitchell, the states of Oregon, Texas, Arizona, and Idaho challenged the constitutionality of Sections 201, 202, and 302 of the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970. The Supreme Court ruled that Congress did not have the right to regulate the minimum voting age in state and local elections but did have the power to set the minimum voting age in federal elections. This ruling set the stage for the 26th Amendment, which established a nationally standardized minimum voting age of 18 for both state and federal elections.
The 26th Amendment has also faced legal challenges in the decades since its ratification. These challenges have included questions about how out-of-town college students are represented at the polls, whether the amendment extends to other political institutions such as serving on a jury, and the validity of voter identification laws under the amendment.
The drive to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 gained momentum during the Vietnam War, as young men between the ages of 18 and 21 were being conscripted to fight in a conflict that they had no political authority to vote on. The slogan ""old enough to fight, old enough to vote" became a rallying cry for the youth voting rights movement.
In 1970, Senator Ted Kennedy proposed amending the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to lower the voting age nationally. President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act that included this provision, despite expressing misgivings about its constitutionality. He directed the Attorney General to cooperate in expediting a swift court test of the provision's constitutionality.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Oregon v. Mitchell and the subsequent passage of the 26th Amendment ensured that 18-year-olds across the United States had the right to vote in both state and federal elections, resolving the legal ambiguity surrounding voting age regulations.
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Frequently asked questions
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971.
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 1, 1971.
The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age for all Americans to 18 years, having previously been 21 years.
The 26th Amendment brought the highest amount (55%) of 18 to 29-year-old voters to the polls in American history during the 1972 elections.
The slogan of the youth voting rights movement was ""old enough to fight, old enough to vote".
