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“old enough to fight, old enough to vote”
18 year old student activists started protesting to lower the voting age to 18. The student activists protested during the Vietnam war. The 18 year old's started the quote "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" -
first declare to lower voting age
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signaled his support for lowering the voting age to 18. Attempts to establish a national standardized voting age. Unfortunately they were met with opposition from states. -
State of the Union adress
President Dwight D. Eisenhower used his 1954 State of the Union address to call upon Congress to “propose to the States a constitutional amendment permitting citizens to vote when they reach the age of 18”. -
Voting rights act
It outlawed the discriminatory voting practices adopted in many southern states after the Civil War. The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 was signed into law on June 22. It also banned tests and devices in voting. -
Congress voted to add the 26th amendment
Congress voted to lower the voting age to 16 and the states Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and Texas sued the federal government. -
Oregon V Mitchell
Oregon and Texas filed to suit, claiming that the law violated the reserve powers of the states to set their own voting-age requirements. The supreme court upheld the claim. -
Teen protests for lowering voting age to 18
This student said the "fact that 18-year-olds could be drafted to fight in the war but could not vote in federal elections in most states" -
States to last approve of the amendment
the states Ohio and North Carolina were the last states to approve of the 26th amendment -
The 26th Amendment gets ratified
On July 5th 1971 the 26th amendment is ratified. 18 year old's now have the right to vote. The 26th amendment was ratified in record time. Nixon signed the certified amendment along with 3 chosen 18 year old men as witness. -
U.S. Congress
The Amendment won congressional backing on March 23, 1971. July 1st is when the states ratified it and 5 days later congress officially ratified it.
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