Which Amendment Lowered The Voting Age To 18?

Which Amendment Lowered The Voting Age To 18?

• A. The 23rd Amendment
• B. The 25th Amendment
• C. The 26th Amendment
• D. The 24th Amendment

Answer: (C)

Lowering the voting age to 18 was achieved by a constitutional amendment adopted in 1971. It states that the right of citizens 18 years of age or older to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of age, establishing 18 as the nationwide minimum voting age for all elections. This change came from the belief that if 18-year-olds could be drafted for military service, they should also have a voice in choosing leaders. Before this amendment, many states set the voting age at 21, but now 18-year-olds can vote in all elections. The other amendments here address different issues—one extends presidential voting rights to residents of Washington, D.C.; another bans poll taxes in federal elections; and another covers presidential succession and disability.

Lowering the voting age to 18 was achieved by a constitutional amendment adopted in 1971. It states that the right of citizens 18 years of age or older to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of age, establishing 18 as the nationwide minimum voting age for all elections. This change came from the belief that if 18-year-olds could be drafted for military service, they should also have a voice in choosing leaders. Before this amendment, many states set the voting age at 21, but now 18-year-olds can vote in all elections. The other amendments here address different issues—one extends presidential voting rights to residents of Washington, D.C.; another bans poll taxes in federal elections; and another covers presidential succession and disability.