Jennings Randolph started a three-decade crusade as a West Virginia congressman to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. His first attempt at an amendment to the Constitution was in 1942, shortly after President Franklin Roosevelt, due to wartime necessity, lowered the age of eligibility to the draft from 21 to 18 years of age. While there was public support for this amendment, with many asserting that if Americans were “old enough to fight,” they were “old enough to vote,” this first effort failed.
Dwight Eisenhower took up the call in his 1954 State of the Union address, proclaiming that:
“For years our citizens between the ages of 18 and 21 have, in time of peril, been summoned to fight for America. They should participate in the political process that produces this fateful summons. I urge Congress to propose to the States a constitutional amendment permitting citizens to vote when they reach the age of 18.”
However, despite Eisenhower’s backing, the movement failed yet again.
This issue was far from over though, as the United States became further entrenched in the Vietnam War. The average age of Vietnam draftees was 19, prompting many to continue questioning why they were old enough to serve in a war but not participate in the democratic process. Protests began anew and public support for a constitutional amendment increased through the 1960s.
Now a senator, Jennings Randolph again campaigned for lowering the voting age. On his 11th attempt at passing legislation, he was finally successful. In March 1971, the 26th Amendment passed, going into effect that July.
Though Utah was one of seven states that did not ratify the amendment, it was greeted enthusiastically with newspapers reporting that Salt Lake County received nine newly registered voters under the age of 21 just one day after the law went into effect, “the registrations began soon after the word was out on the newly ratified 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” Though the law passed, some still had concerns about teens overrunning elections, especially with regard to those attending college from out of state.
Even though Utah did not amend its own constitution to include the lower voting age until 1975, Utah had considered lowering the voting age to 18 as far back as 1870. When the territorial legislature discussed extending voting rights to women in the state constitution, their draft bill initially proposed lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
Voting is a critical way for citizens to be civically engaged, and amendments have paved the way for more and more people to be included in the process. In August 2020, Better Days, a local nonprofit organization, dedicated a monument on Capitol Hill to represent the laws that have expanded voting rights throughout Utah’s history. As was said in the dedication speech: “The story of suffrage in Utah is the story of each of us, individually and collectively, as we continue to engage in the work of establishing strong communities where all voices are heard.”
Please note: Content from outside organizations may not reflect the views of the Utah Historical Society.
Further reading:
https://constitutioncenter.org/news-debate/podcasts/the-story-of-the-26th-amendment
https://utahwomenshistory.org/2020/10/a-path-forward/
Sources:
- https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=26573815&q=26th+amendment&sort=date_tdt+asc%2Cparent_i+asc%2Cpage_i+asc&year_start=1971&year_end=1971&facet_paper=%22Salt+Lake+Tribune%22
- https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=26573114&q=26th+amendment&sort=date_tdt+asc%2Cparent_i+asc%2Cpage_i+asc&year_start=1971&year_end=1971&facet_paper=%22Salt+Lake+Tribune%22
- https://utahwomenshistory.org/2020/10/a-path-forward/