Voting Age Set to 18
26th Amendment to the United States Constitution
What does the Voting Age Set to 18 mean?
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in all federal, state, and local elections. It was ratified in response to the Vietnam War-era argument that if 18-year-olds were old enough to be drafted and fight in war, they should be old enough to vote.
Source: U.S. Const. amend. 26
Original 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.”
Plain-English Explanation
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in all federal, state, and local elections. It was ratified in response to the Vietnam War-era argument that if 18-year-olds were old enough to be drafted and fight in war, they should be old enough to vote.
The amendment was ratified in just 107 days — the fastest ratification of any constitutional amendment — reflecting the strong national consensus on the issue. It was prompted in part by the Supreme Court's decision in Oregon v. Mitchell, which held that Congress could lower the voting age in federal elections but not state elections.
Key Doctrines
Landmark Cases
Oregon v. Mitchell
(1970)Held that Congress could lower the voting age to 18 in federal elections but not in state elections, prompting the ratification of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment to apply the lower voting age to all elections.
Symm v. United States
(1979)Addressed the voting rights of college students under the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, affirming that students have the right to register to vote where they attend school.
Exam Relevance
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment appears in voting rights discussions and illustrates the relationship between congressional power and constitutional amendments. It also raises questions about age-based classifications under equal protection analysis.
Modern Applications
- Proposals to lower the voting age further to 16 for local or state elections
- Student voter registration and residency requirements at college addresses
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