Here is a look at some of the monumental moments and legislative battles that have. Being able to vote is a rite of passage in many places. To the colored men of voting age in the southern states. Mark lennihanap beginning in the 19th century, immigrants from asia began coming to the us for work. Voting age in the usa voting may seem like an easy term but it really is not. Also available in digital form on the library of congress web site. The long debate over lowering the voting age began during world war ii and intensified during the vietnam war. Image 4 of to the colored men of voting age in the. World war ii, the argument over reducing the voting age from 21 to 18 was a longdebated topic that continued over to the vietnam war. It refers to the ability to willingly and rightfully express ones choice or preference for a particular person or issue. Voting is central to the equality of all americans, so in honor of our constitutional right to vote, following is a brief history of voting rights in the united states. By lowering the voting age, therefore, we will extend the franchise both downward and upward. The twentysixth amendment amendment xxvi to the united states constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from using age as a reason for denying the right to vote to citizens of the united states.
Nonvoters this group includes citizen votingage respondents who reported not voting on election day. The constitution grants the states the power to set voting requirements. A survey of race relations in south africa, 1957 1958 pdf. A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they. Lower the voting age to 16 for federal elections talker. The right to vote the contested history of democracy in the. Well explore this history and see how the debate changed over time. Lowering the voting age and the 26th amendment history. However, legislation for voting rights throughout us history has overcome hurdles of racism, sexism, and some outright bizarre voting requirements. The 26th amendment to the us constitution lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 only happened in 1971. In the united states, citizens attain the right to vote at the age of 18.
Timeline shows how voting rights in america have changed. History of voting in america wa secretary of state. The united states has one of the lowest voter turnout rates among developed countries. By lowering the minimum voting age to 18, we will encourage political activity not only in the 18 to 21 yearold age group, but also in the pre18 yearold group and the post21 yearold group as well. Asked in united states of america, us constitution, elections and voting what is the legal age to vote in usa. When people protested at the government to lower the voting age. However, some states permit 17yearolds to vote in primary elections if they will turn 18 by the time of the. When the constitution was ratified in 1787, qualifications and voting eligibility rules were absent and reserved to the states. Lowering the voting age to 16 increases voter turnout and develops lifelong voting habits. It states that men age 21 and over who are residents of the united states have the right to vote. About the voting age in the united states 1290 wjno. Todays news, tomorrows history is an ongoing series with listenwise. The history of voting in america all thats interesting. We are providing this notice in accordance with the 1976 amendment to the federal election campaign act, title 52, united states code, section 30116e.
Committee of twelve for the advancement of the interests of the negro race, cheyney, pa. Know the laws that protect your right to vote and govern the elections process. Federal register estimates of the voting age population. Under the requirements of the 1976 amendment to the federal election campaign act, title 52, united states code, section 30116e, i hereby give notice that the estimates of the voting age population for july 1, 2018, for each state and the district of columbia are as.
Prior to that date, the voting age had been 21 in a majority of the states, even though 18 year olds were old enough to get married, work, and were. This translates to freewill and a person should not be strongarmed into voting. Instead, it is left to the states to decide, and they have often triedwith varying degrees of successto limit voting. The right to vote and the rise of democracy, 17871828. Learn how voting methods and voter habits have changed over the years. Check your understanding about the history of voting rights in america by completing this quiz and. The contested history of democracy in the united states new york, 2000. The history of voting in the united states elections are the foundation of representative democracy, and your right to have a say at the ballot box was paid for with blood on foreign battlefields and on the edmund pettus bridge and debated endlessly in the halls of congress and in livingroom suffrage meetings. The rules that apply to eligible voters has changed dramatically since 1776, when it was pronounced that all men were created equal, but that equality only applied to some. The history of the voting age reveals a deep debate about federal authority dating back to the drafting of the us constitution. The 26 amendment lowered the legal voting age in the united states from 21 to 18.
Although the declaration of independence has just been signed continue reading. The issue of voting rights in the united states, specifically the enfranchisement and disenfranchisement of different groups, has been contested throughout united states history. Any state preventing these rights will lose electors in the electoral. Following the supreme courts decision on the 20 shelby v. History of voting in the us 1776 white men with property have the right to vote, but catholics, jews, quakers, and others are barred from voting. Only white men age 21 and older who own land can vote.
Because there is no agreement on a national standard for voting rights, states are given the power to regulate their own voting laws. Asianamerican voting rights have a long and complex history in america. Projections of the population of voting age november 1966. Voting age news, research and analysis the conversation. The history of voting in the united states stacker. It lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and declared that 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.
History of voting in america washington secretary of state. Al gore wins the nations popular vote, but george w. Census bureau, current population survey, select years. A voting age is the minimum legal age set by the law at which persons are allowed to engage in casting their vote on a public election day. Timeline of voting rights in the united states wikipedia. Lower the voting age to 16 for federal elections todays talker when teenagers are contributing to society or being held liable by it. Voting rates over time for the votingage population.
This is the first full history dealing with the voting age in the united states from 1607 to 1991 that shows how military service and suffrage have been linked through the years. In the context of our countrys history, the voting age being 18 is fairly recent. History of voting in america 1776 voting is controlled by individual state legislatures. The 26th amendment to the constitution establishes the voting age in the us as 18. We will take a look at the benefits and challenges of lowering the voting age in the united states. In my state there were 5,000 negro voters, or negroes of voting age, and some 90,000. Although the study points to standards regarding the.
This notice announces the voting age population estimates as of july 1, 2015, for each state and the district of columbia. The minimum voting age was established by the 26th amendment to the united states constitution, which was ratified in 1971. Holder casewhich withdrew the requirement that jurisdictions with a history of discrimination against minority voters get approval from the feds before changing voting lawsand the subsequent addition of voter identification laws in many states, it appears that even as we make new leaps toward equality. The law is meant to resolve the disparity that 18yearold men are old enough to be drafted to fight in the vietnam war, yet did not have the right to vote. The voting age of the united states 874 words bartleby. Constitution grants full citizenship rights, including voting rights, to all men born or naturalized in the united states. The majority of countries in the world also have an 18yearold voting age. Image 5 of to the colored men of voting age in the. Lowering the voting age to 16 would bring the age of political responsibility more in line with the age of criminal responsibility and the age of informed consent for medical procedures. In most cases, voting remains in the hands of white male landowners.
In the united states, the debate about lowering voting age from 21 to 18 began during world war ii and intensified. Twentysixth amendment to the united states constitution wikipedia. The voting age in america is set at 18, but how was this decision made. This series connects facing historys themes with todays current events using public radio to guide and facilitate discussions around the social issues of our time. While some people may think that the 26th amendment was the first and final step in lowering the voting age, in actuality the story of lowering the voting age is a bit more complicated than that. Austria, brazil, cuba, and nicaragua are among countries that allow 16yearolds to vote. On july 1, the 26th amendment is passed by congress lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. Characteristics of voters in the presidential election of 2016. Constitution grants full citizenship rights, including voting rights. Voters this is the estimated number of people who reported voting. This age is usually stated in a countrys constitution as the legal voting age. When america was young, only white men over the age of 21 were allowed to vote.
However, due to the constitution granting the states the power to set voting requirements, this act and its successor act of 1795 did not automatically grant the right to vote. Generally, states limited this right to propertyowning or taxpaying white males about 6% of the population. The naturalization act of 1790 allows free white persons born outside of the united states to become citizens. Check your states official voter registration page in the links below for the most detailed and uptodate information. Census bureau, current population survey, november 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Lowering the voting age to 16 a white paper from generation citizen executive summary as abraham lincoln famously described in the gettysburg address, americas democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. No federal voting standardstates decide who can vote. A survey of race relations in south africa, 19571958 pdf. A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. American history is based on everincreasing rights, including voting rights. This debate started because men who were under the age of 21 were denied voting rights but were being enlisted to fight for the united states. For the first time in united states history, in a close and controversial election, the president of the united states is chosen based on a decision by the u.
Passage, ratification and effects of the 26th amendment. In the majority of states, the legal voting age is 18. Voter registration age requirements by state while the legal voting age in the u. However, state officials continue attempts to deny this.
The united states is not alone in requiring citizens to be 18 to cast a vote. The constitution makes no stipulations concerning who can vote. This report presents projections of the population of voting age in the united states for november 1966 and 1968, the dates of the next two general elections, and the corresponding estimates of the population of voting age for november 1964, when the last general election was held. History of voting in the us 1776 white men with property.
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