Debates in the Senate on the Twenty-sixth Amendment, 1971

March 9, 1971

EXTENSION OF RIGHT TO VOTE6 min read
638: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 638 (Senate1971.Mar9.638)

Arkansas_____________ 18 1943 Yes _______ 1943 Yes ______________________ California_____________ 18

642: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 642 (Senate1971.Mar9.642)

Connecticut___________ 18 1955 Yes _ __ ____________________________ 18 1957 Yes __ _______ 18 7 f~~~ 1949 -Yes=:::::::::::::::::- Yes ________ __ __ Delaware____ __ _______ 1951 Yes 18 1953 Yes __________________ 18 1955 Yes __________________ Florida_______________ 18 1 1955 Yes ••• __________ 7 1957 Yes ••• _____

644: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 644 (Senate1971.Mar9.644)

Georgia______________ 18 1943 Yes _____ Footnotes at end of table.

645: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 645 (Senate1971.Mar9.645)

80 Saudi SenegaL Arabia __________________ _ _ ____ -----_-------- __ ________ ----- _ ~? Sierra Leone __ ----- ______ ___ ____ ----- 21 70-80 Singapore _ ________ -- ---- __ ----------- 21 Somalia __________ ------_------------ s 18 South Africa ______ ___ _______________ _ 718 Spain ___________ ___ _____ ______ _____ _ 8 21 Sudan ____ ___ _______ __ ______ ________ _ 18 Swaziland ________________________ ___ _ 21 Sweden ____ ___ __________ ____ --------- 20 Switzerland _________ --- - - - __________ _ 20 Syria _ _______ ____ ________ _ __ ________ _ 18 Tanzania _____ ------ ________________ _ 18 Thailand ________________________ ----- 20 Togo _____________________ -------- __ - 21 Tonga _______ _______ __________ ------_ 21 Trin_i~ad and Tobago _________________ _ 21 Tumsra _________________ -- __ ------ -- - 20 Turkey ________ ______ ____ _ _____ _ ----- 21 Uganda _________________ --- - ____ ----_ 21 U.S . S.R _______ ------ ______ ____ ___ ___ _ 18 United Kingdom _____________________ _ 18 United States ______ _ _____ _________ ___ _ Upper Volta _________________ --------_ ~g? Uruguay ____ ____________________ ----_ 18 Venezuela __________________ --------- 18 Vietnam (South) _________________ ----- 18 Yemen ___________ ------------ __ ----- 18 Yugoslavia __________________________ _ 18 Zambia _____________________________ _ 18

651: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 651 (Senate1971.Mar9.651)

e Subject to change by new Constitution.

652: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 652 (Senate1971.Mar9.652)

7 For whites. For Colored and Xhosa, 21.

653: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 653 (Senate1971.Mar9.653)

8 Heads of families and self-supporting men and women.

655: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 655 (Senate1971.Mar9.655)

Note: Voting ages shown are for nat i onal elections. In some countries, persons may vote at a younger age if they are married. The designation NA means not ava lab ' e. For countries not listed, no information was available.

656: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 656 (Senate1971.Mar9.656)

STATE ACTION To LoWER THE VoTING AGE: A REPORT IN Two PARTS

657: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 657 (Senate1971.Mar9.657)

The first part of this report shows activity in the several States since 1900 to lower voting age. The second part reprints an earlier Legislative Reference Service report each activity between 1943 and 1960.

658: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 658 (Senate1971.Mar9.658)

The primary sources for the information herein are the legislative journals of the various States. The Library of Congress does not house every State'!! journals and the rec-

659: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 659 (Senate1971.Mar9.659)

TO LOWER THE VOTING AGE IN THE SEVERAL STATES:

661: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 661 (Senate1971.Mar9.661)

.---------- _______________________________________________________ 1961 Yes __________ ----- ________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 1965 Yes _____________ ------ __________________________________

663: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 663 (Senate1971.Mar9.663)

1959 Part of constitution. _____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ =- ~~~=== == == == ~ ~ = = == == = _: ~~==== = == == == == == = = _______________________________________________________________________________ _ ______________________________________________________ 1966 Yes __ _____ ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________ ------------- ___________________

664: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 664 (Senate1971.Mar9.664)

---- Yes _______ ------ _____ Defeated ________

665: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 665 (Senate1971.Mar9.665)

_____ _________________________________________________

666: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 666 (Senate1971.Mar9.666)

-------_--· __________________ ----------------- - ________ _____

667: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 667 (Senate1971.Mar9.667)

1965 Yes ___________________________________________________________

668: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 668 (Senate1971.Mar9.668)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________

669: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 669 (Senate1971.Mar9.669)

____ ____ _ _ --------------------------------

670: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 670 (Senate1971.Mar9.670)

__________ ----------- ______ ------- __________________________________________________ 1961 Yes __ _ ------ __________________________________________________ 1963 Yes __________________________________________________

671: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 671 (Senate1971.Mar9.671)

___ ___________ Yes::::::::::::::::::- ______________ _____ Yes::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: _ ____ ______ _ ___

672: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 672 (Senate1971.Mar9.672)

___________________________________________________________________________________________ Yes__ __________ ______ Defeated _______________________________________

673: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 673 (Senate1971.Mar9.673)

Defeated.------------ Yes ______ _ ----------------

674: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 674 (Senate1971.Mar9.674)

6~eafeti::::::::::::: ~:featecl::===========-~~~i:~~~·-~~~~-~~:=~~~====

675: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 675 (Senate1971.Mar9.675)

-----_-------- _____________ Defeated._ •• __ .---._

676: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 676 (Senate1971.Mar9.676)

_______ • ________ ------ __ -------. _________________ ____

677: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 677 (Senate1971.Mar9.677)

Yes __________________ Yes ___ ords of some State legislatures are difficult to use because of inadequate indexing. This report is, accordingly, incomplete. We have (5) provided the latest information available NA which is, in most instances, current through 133 October 1969. NA Supplementary sources have been consult­ 74 ed including (1) newspapers, (2) the Weekly NA Reports of the Congressional Quarterly ServNA 89 ice, (3) the National Civic Review, (4) re­ 80+ ports of State legislative reference bureaus, 60--80 ( 5) hearings in 1968 before the SubcommitN.A. tee on Constitutional Amendments, Senate 49 90 Committee on the Judiciary, (6) the Congres- sional Record, (7) Scholastic Teacher for May NA 2, 1969, and (8) publications of the Council of NA state Governments, 65-75 To provide the reader with speedy access to NA the information contained in this report, a 99 table of action since 1943 in the States is in­ 75 cluded. 94 In summary, it can be concluded that State 3 60 action to lower the voting age has increased 90+ considerably during the past ten years, part­ 21 ly in response to the Vietnam War but also 85 for other reasons. The Congressional Quar­ 72 terly Service reported in its Weekly Report o! May 23, 1969, that bills to lower the voting age had been introduced in every State legislature in 1968 or 1969 with the exception of Georgia and Kentucky, where it is already 18, and Mississippi. Since 1966, action beyond mere introduction has occurred in several States, with referendums or possible referendums occurring in 18 States: Michigan (rejected, 1966), Maryland (rejected, 1968), Nebraska (rejected, 1968; on ballot again, 1970), Tennessee (rejected as topic for constitutional convention, 1968), North Dakota (rejected, 1968), Hawaii (rejected, 1968; on ballot again, 1970), Ohio (rejected, 1969), New Jersey (rejected, 1969), Alaska (on ballot, 1970), Connecticut (on ballot, 1970), Maine (on ballot, 1970), Massachusetts (on the ballot, 1970), Minnesota (on ballot, 1970), Montana. (on ballot, 1970), Oregon (on ballot, on 1970), Wyoming (on ballot, 1970), Delaware (must be repassed, 1970 or 1971), and Nevada

679: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 679 (Senate1971.Mar9.679)

Despite this flurry of action, no State has lowered its voting age since Kentucky did so in 1955.

681: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 681 (Senate1971.Mar9.681)

Repassed Part of co nstitu­ Referendum legislature 2 tional revision result

683: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 683 (Senate1971.Mar9.683)

------ ______ ----- _______________________ ------ ____________ _

685: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 685 (Senate1971.Mar9.685)

---------- ______________________ __ ---- ______________ _ ___________________________________________________________ _

686: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 686 (Senate1971.Mar9.686)

. _______ __ _________________ • _________________ _ =·-==---_-- === =-_-_-_ =-- --= __ = --==-- =~ __ = == = = == _ = __ = = _ 0 n ballot, 1970.

689: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 689 (Senate1971.Mar9.689)

_____ ________________________________ • ______ _ -------------------------------- ________________ _

690: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 690 (Senate1971.Mar9.690)

____ ---------------- ________________ _

691: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 691 (Senate1971.Mar9.691)

__ _____ ___ ___ _ __________ ____ _ _

692: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 692 (Senate1971.Mar9.692)

___ ------ _________________ . ____________ _

693: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 693 (Senate1971.Mar9.693)

____ __ _ ________________ _ ___ :: __________________ _

695: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 695 (Senate1971.Mar9.695)

____________________________________ ----- _____________ _

697: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 697 (Senate1971.Mar9.697)

-~ ____________ __________________ _ ________ __ ___ _ _ _______________________ ____ ____ ___ _ ___________ ________ _ _______________ :::::::::::_ __________ ~:~~~~~~==:: __ __________________ ~=::::::: _ on ballot, 1970.

700: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 700 (Senate1971.Mar9.700)

__ __ _ ---- __ __ ______ -------- _______ -

702: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 702 (Senate1971.Mar9.702)

_______ --- _____ .,. ___ • ____ _ __ • ___ ._

703: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 703 (Senate1971.Mar9.703)

_______ • ~ ::::::::: _____ :- --- : ::::::: ___ ---_ Approved, 1953.

704: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 704 (Senate1971.Mar9.704)

ACTION TO LOWER THE leg islation State Age Year introduced 20 1959 Part of constitution._. ______ HawaiL __ • ----------- Idaho. ___ ._.--------- 7 l!if ~=~=== == == =: ==== =:: ::- 19 1959/1960 Yes __________________ Yes 18 1943 Yes • • ______ •••• _ •• _ ••••• Illinois •• __ ----------- 1945 Yes ••• _ •• ___ --- ••• _._._ _ 18 1947 Yes • • ___ • _________ •• ______ 18 1949 Yes •• _. ___ -------

705: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 705 (Senate1971.Mar9.705)

18 1951 Yes ••• -- __ •••••• --. ___

706: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 706 (Senate1971.Mar9.706)

1953 Yes •• _. __________ .-- ________

707: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 707 (Senate1971.Mar9.707)

18 1955 Yes .• _________ _____ .- Defeated

708: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 708 (Senate1971.Mar9.708)

18 18 1957 Yes ________________ • __

710: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 710 (Senate1971.Mar9.710)

18/19 1961 Yes •• ___ __________ __ - Defeated

711: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 711 (Senate1971.Mar9.711)

19 1965 Yes •• _________ 18/19 19 1967 Yes •• _____ •• -- __ • __ .-------._

712: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 712 (Senate1971.Mar9.712)

1943 Yes ••• __ ._._-- ________________

713: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 713 (Senate1971.Mar9.713)

Indiana.------------- 18 1945 Yes •• _______ ••• __ • ___ •

714: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 714 (Senate1971.Mar9.714)

19 18 }~~~ ~ !~ :::::::::: :::: :::: _ '!_e_s_

715: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 715 (Senate1971.Mar9.715)

Iowa •••• ------------- 18 1949 Yes . ___ __ _____ ._----- -

716: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 716 (Senate1971.Mar9.716)

1953 Yes ____ _ _ _ _________ __ ______

717: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 717 (Senate1971.Mar9.717)

18 1957 Yes .• _ __________ - ___ _ ____ _

718: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 718 (Senate1971.Mar9.718)

18 1959 Yes •• • _ _ ____ -------- __ 18 1961 Yes •• • ____ ._--- _____ _ 18 1967 Yes ••• _______________ Defeated

719: Senate, March 9, 1971, ¶ 719 (Senate1971.Mar9.719)

7 1943 Yes ••• _______ --- ______ Kansas.-------------- 18 1945 Yes •• _ __________ -_- ___ _ _ 18 1947 Yes ____ _ ______ -- __ - ____ 18 1949 Yes ••• ______ ------

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