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World War II
World War II started this controversy. The slogan was "Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote." Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the minimum draft age to 18. Pictured: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Source 1 -
The Fasest Amendment Passed
This amendment was passed faster than any other amendment by a group of young activists from the National Education Association in 1960s. Source 4 -
Supportive Groups
In 1967, the group passed a resolution supporting an 18-year-old voting age, the supporters are of the NEA-Student Program and the NEA Representative Assembly's thousands of nationwide members. Source 4 -
Supportive Organizations
1969, the NEA started its campaign for the measure, called Project 18. They teamed with organizations like YMCA, AFL-CIO and NAACP and creating the Youth Franchise Coalition to lobby for a Constitutional amendment. -
Voting Rights Act
President Richard Nixon passed the Voting Rights Act, which called for the voting age to be 18 - but people couldn't start celebrating yet. That year, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for Congress to mandate voting age for state and local elections. Source 4 -
Court Case Oregon vs. Mitchell
A divided United States Supreme Court ruled that Congress had to set a minimum age for voting in federal elections, but not local and state elections. Source 1 -
26th Amendment Passed
Congress passed the amendment. Source 2 -
26th Amendment Ratified
The State Legislatures ratified the amendment. Conneticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington were the first 5 states to ratify. Source 2 & 5 -
The 26th Amendment
The amendment states: "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." Source 3 -
State Ratification
North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wyoming, Georgia were the last 5 states to ratify this amendment. This was the fastest amendment passed; it was pased in 100 days. Source 5
