Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Section 1. 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.

Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

During the Viet Nam War, some politicians argued that if men at age 18 were old enough to be drafted into military service, then they should be old enough to vote.^[1] In response, Congress attempted to lower the voting age to 18 for all elections in the Voting Rights Act of 1970, but the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not set the voting age for state elections in Oregon v. Mitchell, 400 U.S. 112 (1970). The states ratified this Amendment in record time - less than four months after Congress passed it.

Currently, some moderates and conservatives have called for raising the voting age back to 21, due to low turnout among people under age 21 and university professors indoctrinating students with liberal propaganda, as evidenced by the SEIU's endorsement of Barack Obama and his popularity among adults under age 21. Former Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), for example, said "Lowering the voting age was a mistake. We did it basically out of guilt."^[2]

Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America

Bill of Rights:
1 - Freedom of speech, press, religion, etc.
2 - Right to bear arms
3 - Quartering of soldiers
4 - Warrants
5 - Due process
6 - Right to a speedy trial
7 - Right by trial of a jury
8 - No cruel or unusual punishments
9 - Unenumerated rights
10 - Power to the people and states

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11 - Immunity of states to foreign suits
12 - Revision of presidential election procedures
13 - Abolition of slavery
14 - Citizenship
15 - Racial suffrage
16 - Federal income tax
17 - Direct election of the United States Senate
18 - Prohibition of alcohol
19 - Women's suffrage
20 - Terms of the presidency
21 - Repeal of Eighteenth Amendment
22 - Limits the president to two terms
23 - District of Columbia Voting for President
24 - Prohibition of poll taxes
25 - Presidential disabilities
26 - Voting age lowered to 18
27 - Variance of congressional compensation

References[edit]