On July 1st of 1971, the 26th amendment to the constitution was ratified under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This amendment states that any eligible citizen over eighteen years of age reserves the right to vote.
Prior to the passing of the 26th amendment, the legal age to vote was at 21 years old. However, the change to this standard into what we know it as today began with the Vietnam War. Youth from ages 18 to 20 had been fighting in the Vietnam War alongside those who were eligible to vote back home. Many Americans believed this was unfair as those young men were being drafted and sacrificing time, opportunities, and sometimes even their lives for a country which laws and political actions they had no say in. Many people held protests and even presidents of other countries spoke up for the voting age to be lowered; and, eventually, the amendment was ratified as part of the modified Voting Rights Act of 1970. Thus, the legal age to vote was lowered from 21 to 18 in the United States.
As of July 1st , 2021 it has been 50 years since the bill was passed and young adult citizens, like most of us here at Belmont, have been given the right to vote. This anniversary is one to celebrate as voting is a mighty tool for social and political change. If not for this amendment, you and I would not have a say in laws that directly affect our adult lives. However, too many youths do not take advantage of the power they are given: don't be one of them.
To use your voice and vote in the ways they matter most, check out our voter information page! There, you can find how and where to register for voting, live election ballots, and lists of what bills and offices need your vote.
