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What Did The 26th Amendment Say?

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On July 1, 1971, our Nation ratified the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, lowering the voting age to 18 .

What does the 26th Amendment say exactly?

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.

What was the purpose of the 26th Amendment?

Twenty-sixth Amendment to the Constitution

Passed by Congress March 23, 1971, and ratified July 1, 1971, the 26th amendment granted the right to vote to American citizens aged eighteen or older .

When was the voting age lowered to 18?

The proposed 26th Amendment passed the House and Senate in the spring of 1971 and was ratified by the states on July 1, 1971.

What does the 27 Amendment say?

The Amendment provides that: “ No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

What is the history of the 26th Amendment?

Responding to arguments that those old enough to be drafted for military service, should be able to exercise the right to vote, Congress lowered the voting age as part of the Voting Rights Act of 1970. ... Endorsed by Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma, the amendment passed the House by a vote of 401 to 19, on March 23, 1971.

Who does the 14th Amendment apply to?

Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States ,” including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of ...

What is the 20st Amendment?

The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January , and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

What was voting age before 26th Amendment?

On June 22, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required the voting age to be 18 in all federal, state, and local elections.

Why was the draft age lowered to 18?

No longer on the sidelines of the war, the need for troops meant that the United States government needed to increase the draft numbers , and move to expand the eligible ages. On November 11, 1942, Congress approved lowering the minimum draft age to 18 and raising the maximum to 37.

What did the 24th Amendment ban?

On this date in 1962, the House passed the 24th Amendment, outlawing the poll tax as a voting requirement in federal elections, by a vote of 295 to 86. At the time, five states maintained poll taxes which disproportionately affected African-American voters: Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas.

What did the 15 amendment do?

The amendment reads, “ The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The 15th Amendment guaranteed African-American men the right to vote.

What is an example of the 27th Amendment?

Congress sets its own salary by voting for or against pay raises . For example, the 27th Amendment specifies that any changes made to members of Congress’ pay must take effect at the beginning of the term after the pay raise is voted in. ...

Why did the 27th amendment passed?

Proponents of the amendment believed that legislators are more likely to be cautious about increasing congressional pay if they have no personal stake in the vote . The amendment was introduced in Congress in 1789 by James Madison and sent to the states for ratification at that time.

How did the 26th Amendment change American society?

Forty years ago, the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution took effect, lowering the universal voting age in America from 21 years to 18 years. Millions of young Americans were extended the right to vote, empowering more young people than ever before to help shape our country.

What states ratified the 26th Amendment?

During the day, Alabama and North Carolina ratified the proposed 26th Amendment, and then Ohio voted as the 38th state on the night of June 30. President Nixon immediately issued a statement that was reported nationally.

Edited and fact-checked by the FixAnswer editorial team.
Maria LaPaige

Maria writes about family life, parenting, and relationships, offering practical advice for navigating the joys and challenges of family.