In the United States, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1971, which granted 18-year-olds the right to vote in all elections, both at the state and federal level.
Prior to the amendment, the voting age varied from state to state, with some states allowing 18-year-olds to vote while others required voters to be 21 years old. However, during the 1960s, with the escalating Vietnam War and the drafting of young men as soldiers, there was a growing movement to lower the voting age and grant young people the right to have a say in the decisions that affected their lives.
In 1970, Congress passed a law lowering the voting age to 18 for all federal elections. The 26th Amendment was then passed by Congress and quickly ratified by the required number of states, officially becoming part of the Constitution on July 1, 1971. Since then, 18-year-olds in the United States have had the right to vote in all elections.
Now there are calls by some for lowering the voting age to 16-years old in the United States. The question of whether the voting age should be lowered to 16 in the United States is a matter of debate and there are arguments for and against it.
One argument for lowering the voting age to 16 is that it would increase the political engagement and participation of young people. Supporters argue that young people are often passionate and have a stake in many of the issues that affect their lives, such as education, healthcare, and the environment. By giving them the right to vote, it would give them a voice and a way to influence policy decisions.
On the other hand, opponents of lowering the voting age argue that 16-year-olds may not have the necessary life experience or maturity to make informed decisions. They also argue that many 16-year-olds are still in high school and may be influenced by their parents or teachers, which could lead to uninformed or coerced voting.
The proposal to lower the voting age is not being embraced by the conservative establishment because generally, younger voters in the United States tend to vote more liberal than older voters. This is reflected in the voting patterns of various age groups in recent elections.
For example, in the 2020 presidential election, data from exit polls showed that voters between the ages of 18 and 29 supported the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, over the Republican incumbent, Donald Trump, by a margin of 61% to 36%. In contrast, voters aged 65 and older supported Trump over Biden by a margin of 52% to 47%.
Similarly, in the 2018 midterm elections, voters under the age of 30 favored Democratic candidates by a margin of 67% to 32%, while voters aged 65 and older favored Republican candidates by a margin of 51% to 47%.
These patterns suggest that younger voters are generally more likely to support liberal policies and candidates, while older voters tend to be more conservative. However, it's important to note that these trends are not universal and there is significant diversity in political beliefs and voting patterns within different age groups.
Guest:
Jennifer Frost is the author of "Let Us Vote! Youth Voting Rights and the 26th Amendment.” She is Associate Professor of History at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, and author of “An Interracial Movement of the Poor: Community Organizing and the New Left in the 1960s,” “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservativism,” and “Producer of Controversy: Stanley Kramer, Hollywood Liberalism, and the Cold War.”
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet@TPRSource.
*This interview will be recorded on Thursday, April 13.
