The Choice The 26th Amendment: Lowering the Voting Age to 18
This amendment was ratified quicker than any other in American history.
Issue #969 The Choice, Friday, December 12, 2025
Every Friday until the end of 2025, we will publish a post about each of the 27 Amendments to the Constitution.
The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution stands as a pivotal moment in American democratic history. Ratified on July 1, 1971, the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18. The amendment’s passage represented a significant victory for youth activism and reflected changing attitudes about citizenship, representation, and the rights of young Americans.
The 26th Amendment concisely states:
“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 statement established a nationally standardized minimum voting age for all state and federal elections.
The push to lower the voting age gained significant momentum during the Vietnam War era. A compelling argument emerged from young Americans: if they were old enough to be drafted and fight for their country, they should be old enough to vote on the policies that sent them to war. This “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote” slogan became a rallying cry for youth activists throughout the 1960s and early 1970s.
Congress passed the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971, with strong bipartisan support.
In the 1970 case Oregon v. Mitchell, a divided Supreme Court held that Congress had authority to regulate the minimum voting age in federal elections but not in state and local elections. This decision created an inconsistency in voting-age requirements across elections, thereby accelerating the push for a constitutional amendment to establish a uniform national standard.
The ratification process moved with remarkable speed. The amendment was ratified on July 1, 1971—just over three months after Congress passed it. This made the 26th Amendment one of the fastest-ratified amendments in American history.
The 26th Amendment immediately expanded the electorate by millions of voters. Approximately 11 million young Americans aged 18 to 20 became eligible to vote for the first time.
Constitutional Principle
The amendment reinforced a fundamental principle of democratic governance: that representation should be tied to those affected by laws and policies. By granting voting rights to 18-year-olds, the nation acknowledged that young adults had a legitimate stake in political decisions.
The successful passage of the 26th Amendment stands as a testament to the power of youth activism and grassroots political engagement. It demonstrated that young Americans could effectively advocate for their rights and influence the constitutional amendment process.
However, voter turnout among young people remains a concern for election officials and political scientists, despite the legal right to vote at 18 being firmly established.
Our choice is to ensure that young people and younger voters can not only have their voices heard but will be encouraged to fully participate in the political process, including running for office. We need to support them, not write them off by backing only much older, less progressive candidates and party members.
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