Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Definition

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. It was ratified in response to Vietnam War-era protests that argued those old enough to be drafted for military service should be able to exercise the right to vote.

Related terms

Voting Rights Act of 1965: This landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States prohibited racial discrimination in voting, ensuring all citizens had equal rights at polls.

Seventeenth Amendment: This amendment established direct election of U.S. Senators by popular vote, replacing previous system where they were chosen by state legislatures.

Fifteenth Amendment: This amendment granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."