The 26th Amendment passed the U.S. House and Senate in the spring of 1971 and was ratified by the states on July 1, 1971.
Georgia was the first state in the nation to lower its voting age from 21 to 18, way back in 1943.
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower voiced support for lowering the voting age. “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.”
Based upon content from the Missouri State Archives, Timeline of Missouri History.
Photo credit: Element5 Digital, Unsplash
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