An overview of the 26th Amendment is provided in the US House of Representatives: History.
The legal voting age in the United States was lowered by the 26 Amendment.During World War II and the Vietnam War, young men who were denied the right to vote were conscripted to fight for their country.Congress has the right to regulate the minimum age in federal elections, but not at the state and local level, as ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1970 case Oregon v Mitchell.The 26th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1971.President Nixon signed it into law in July of that year.
During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the minimum age for the military draft from 21 to 18.Georgia became the first state to lower its voting age from 21 to 18 in 1943 as a result of the youth voting rights movement.
Did you know?Young voters showed a statistically significant increase in turnout in 2008 despite an overall increase of 5 million voters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
In 1942, the first time a bill to lower the voting age was introduced in Congress, it was by a Democratic congressman from West Virginia, who later became a senator.He believed that America's youth possess a great social conscience, are perplexed by the injustices in the world, and are anxious to correct those ills.
Eisenhower, who led the U.S. armed forces to victory in Europe in 1945, became the first president to publicly voice his support for a constitutional amendment lowering the minimum voting age.For years our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have been summoned to fight for America.They should be involved in the political process that leads to this summons.
In the late 1960s, with the United States mired in a long, costly war in Vietnam, youth voting rights activists held marches and demonstrations to draw attention to the hypocrisy of drafting young men who lacked the right to vote.There were 60 resolutions introduced in Congress to lower the minimum voting age, but no action was taken.The Voting Rights Act of 1965, which Congress passed in 1965, lowered the voting age to 18 in federal, state and local elections.The provision was declared unconstitutional by President Richard M. Nixon after he signed the bill.Nixon believes that Congress does not have the power to pass a simple statute for the 18-year-old vote.
The constitutionality of the provision was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.In the majority decision, Justice Hugo Black wrote that Congress did not have the right to regulate the minimum age in state and local elections.Four justices, not including Black, believed Congress had the right in state and local elections, while four others believed that Congress didn't have the same right under the Constitution.
Under this verdict, 18- to 20-year-olds would be able to vote for president and vice president, but not for state officials up for election at the same time.A Constitutional amendment that would set a uniform national voting age of 18 in all elections was supported by many states.
On March 10, 1971, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of the proposed amendment.The 26th Amendment went to the states after the House voted in favor of it.The shortest period of time for an amendment in U.S. history was two months.President Nixon signed it into law on July 5, 1971.At a White House ceremony attended by 500 newly eligible voters, Nixon said that the 11 million new voters would do so much for America at home.
Nixon was reelected in 1972 despite the fact that George McGovern, an opponent of the Vietnam War, was expected to win over young voters.After a 55.4 percent turnout in 1972, youth turnout declined to 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.The voter turnout for the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama was the second highest in history, with 49 percent of 18- to 24 year-olds voting.
The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote will not be denied by the US or any state.
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