Voting
Youth Citizenship
Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote: Some History
The Vietnam War Era | 18-Year-Olds Get the Vote
A Constitutional Challenge | The 26th Amendment
Young People: A Force for Change | What Has
Changed? | Cause for Concern?
YOU Vote! | Some
Stats | Resources/Links for This Section
In the decades surrounding the Vietnam war, young people were a powerful force for
change. Why aren’t people in their early twenties rising to meet the challenge of
democracy by voting?
Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote: Some History
“Old enough to fight, old enough to vote,” was a slogan that was first heard
after the United States entered World War II in 1941. Georgia led the way in 1943, by
lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 in state and local elections. Millions of men and
women too young to vote were asked to serve in that war. Many people, regardless of age,
thought it was unfair. However, it wasn’t until the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam
War, thirty years later, that the movement to give eighteen-year-olds the right to vote
gained strength.
The Vietnam War Era
In the late 1960’s, 18-21 year-olds organized marches and demonstrations to convince
the American public and lawmakers of the hypocrisy of drafting eighteen-year-olds to serve
in the armed forces when they couldn’t even vote. Young people argued that they could
be sent to Vietnam to fight in the war (US involvement, 1957-1975), and potentially lose
their lives in a conflict that they had no political power to support or prevent. Fifty
resolutions to lower the age were introduced in Congress in 1969. None resulted in action.
18-Year-Olds Get the Vote
By 1970, the vote had been extended to eighteen-year-olds in 35 nations. President Richard
Nixon lent his support to the cause, as did Congressional leaders of both political
parties. In June of 1970, Congress extended the 1965 Voting Rights Act (which aimed to
extend voting rights to everyone by preventing prerequisites to or qualifications for
voting) to include 18-year-olds, by adding three amendments, including a provision that
lowered the voting age in federal and state elections. The bill was passed in both the
House and Senate. President Nixon signed the bill despite apprehension that it might be
illegal because the Constitution reserved the power to determine who voted in state and
local elections for the States.
A Constitutional Challenge
The constitutionality of the provision lowering the voting age in state elections was
reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1970 case Oregon v. Mitchell. Justice Black wrote the majority opinion,
which held that Congress had the authority to permit 18-year olds to vote in national
elections, but that the States had the power to establish qualifications to vote in state
and local elections. The solution was the 26th Amendment.
The 26th Amendment
In 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, giving everyone over the age of 18 the right to
vote. The Amendment was passed in large part because of the letter-writing and peaceful
protest efforts of a large number of college students and young men and women facing
conscription. Ratification was accomplished in four months—the shortest period of
time of any Constitutional Amendment in U.S. history.
Young People: A Force for Change
The political momentum of young people remained powerful in the following two decades.
Even as recently as the 1992 presidential election, Bill Clinton defeated George Bush with
“critical support from 18- to 24-year-olds, who voted in higher percentages than ever
before.
What Has Changed?
But what changed between 1992 and election day 1996, when only 30% of eligible 18- to
24-year-olds voted? A 1999 Project Vote Smart survey comparing attitudes of 18-25 year
olds to the rest of the voting population found widespread lack of interest in civic
participation. The survey of 18-25 year olds found that they are far less inclined than
older citizens to pay attention to how civic issues are resolved by government:
- 24% surveyed did not trust any level of government; only 9% surveyed trusted the
Federal government
- 45% say they “definitely will” vote, compared to 64% of older voters
- 65% surveyed registered to vote vs. 78% of older respondents
Cause for Concern?
Some analysts believe these figures are nothing to be alarmed about. They point out that
young people have historically been less inclined to vote-it makes sense-young people tend
not to own property or have children in public schools, so they feel they have less
economic stake in the political process. Some also suggest that apathy among younger
voters isn’t necessarily young people’s fault-politicians tend to ignore the
issues of concern to teenage and twentysomething voters, such as the environment and
poverty.
Findings of a 1997 survey of college freshmen at UCLA’s Higher Education Research
Institute suggest that apathy may not be the cause of young people’s lack of
political involvement. While the numbers of college frosh who considered political
awareness important and discuss politics regularly have diminished in recent years, rates
of volunteerism are higher than ever. In 1997,
- 71% of college frosh questioned had done volunteer work during the past year (compared
to 70.3% in 1995, and 62% in 1989)
- 38.4% spent at least an hour a week (compared to 37.2% in 1995, and 26.6% in 1987).
A study conducted in November, 1999 by the Mellman Group found that
college students actually have more faith in government than the population generally.
Forty-nine percent of the students, but 71% of the general population, said that
government is run by a few big interests rather than for the benefit of all.