Twenty Sixth Amendment- Voting Age

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 the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.


In my opinion, the voting age of eighteen was well thought out. Up until the age of eighteen children are minors and under their parents control. Legally their parents make decisions for them. If they were allowed to vote that would violate this. If the age were above eighteen then people would be responsible for themselves but not have representation. By being able to vote at the age of eighteen they receive the right to express their opinion, by voting, and become responsible for themselves at the same time.






My Opinion: I chose this video because it shows that there are minors out there that do not agree with the voting age of eighteen. I understand their concern and considered it more after hearing the argument that they can work and pay taxes but cannot vote and have representation. This makes sense because they are being forced to pay money to the government without being able to vote for the people who propose and vote on the legislation. However, I think that the solution in this will be very complicated because of the fact that the legal age to vote and the age when you become an adult are different. I doubt that the voting age will change again any time soon.



Take Back the 26th Amendment: Or Why We Need A Reverse Suffrage Movement
By: Kacy McArthur
October 9, 2008

Quite frankly, I don't believe most people my age are qualified to vote, nor should they be allowed to vote. Originally only white land-owning men could vote in the United States, but I'm not proposing that we should completely go back to this model. I think the 15th amendment is great, as it extended voting privileges to all men regardless of race or station in life.


However even as a woman, I have a few slight qualms about the 19th amendment passed in 1920 extending the right to vote for women. The idea of allowing men to vote was not necessarily sexist per se. Rather, it was intended that men vote in order to represent a family unit. The man would vote as the head of the household. Though extending suffrage to women was probably not intended to promote a form of individualism and divided families, these consequences resulted to some extent due to the suffrage movement. Nevertheless, I believe women's suffrage was overall a good thing, and I in no way wish to overturn women's right to vote.


The type of suffrage I am speaking out against is AGE SUFFRAGE, or the 26th amendment of 1971 which extended voting rights to those 18 years of age and over. Previously, the national voting age was 21, but even 21 year olds seem too young to vote, at least those who are 21 in 2008. In 1870 and 1920, a 21 year old could easily be considered an adult. Most were married or seriously thinking about marriage and were at least living on their own. In other words, a 21 year old man most likely functioned as a head of the household, and a 21 year old woman would likely be concerned about politics in order to vote in such a way as to help influence the world for the sake of her children.


Today even most 21 year olds are still living with their parents or at least on some kind of parental support. They are not heads of households or concerned about children. Most are not even considering marriage, as childhood is extending well into the late 20s and early 30s. Children should not be allowed to vote. And with extended childhoods and extended lifespans, it makes sense to increase the voting age to 30. At the same time, I believe exceptions should be made. Those who are married should be allowed to vote, as being married generally marks one's entrance into adulthood. At least married twenty-somethings are running a household separate from their parents. At least they have given up the "why get married when I can get wasted on the weekends and make-out with random strangers" mentality. (A peer of mine actually made this statement not too long ago.) I also think exceptions should be made for those with a child or children. This means allowing single parents a vote even if they are not yet 30. Single parents have more responsibility than perpetual children since they are concerned with the livelihoods of their little-ones. I also think an exception should be made for those in the military, since they are choosing to give up the childhood lifestyle in order to serve their country.


Basically children should not be allowed to vote, and most people my age hardly qualify as adults.


My Opinion: I chose this article because it is the opposite of the other opinion. The author argues that the voting age should be raised to thirty and that there should be a whole slue of exceptions. These include people who are married, have children, or are in the armed forces. I do not agree with this argument because I feel as though the author is generalizing an entire group of people. To me this is a form of voter discrimination by picking and choosing voters based on how much responsibility you think a voter should have.