When the Voting Age Became 18
The voting age became 18 nationwide on July 1, 1971, when North Carolina became the 38th state to ratify the 26th Amendment. Congress had passed it on March 23, 1971, just 100 days earlier. No amendment before or since has been ratified faster, by the proposal and ratification dates the National Archives lists. The Nixon Library calls it “the fastest in ratification history.”
Key facts
- The Senate passed it 94 to 0 (VoteView) and the House 401 to 19 (House Historian).
- Before 1971, the voting age was 21 in 46 states (Census Bureau).
- In 1972, 49.6% of 18-to-24-year-olds reported voting. In 2024, 43.9% did (Census Bureau).
- Courts have upheld mail-voting rules that favor voters 65 and older, including in Texas (Constitution Annotated).
The first national election with 18-year-old voters in every state was November 1972.
What the 26th Amendment Says
The 26th Amendment says no government in the United States can deny or limit a citizen’s right to vote because of age, once that citizen is 18. It has two sentences. Section 1 reads: "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." Section 2 reads: "The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." (National Archives)
In plain words:
- Who is protected: citizens 18 and older.
- Who is bound: the federal government and every state, in every election, federal, state and local.
- What is banned: denying or “abridging” the vote on account of age. The text protects voters 18 and older; it does not forbid a lower age.
Our voter registration guide covers when and how to register in your state.
Why the Voting Age Is 18
The voting age is 18 because Americans could be drafted at 18. When the country lowered the draft age from 21 to 18 during World War II, “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” became a widespread slogan, according to the Nixon Presidential Library. A proposed amendment then “failed to gain political traction,” the library says. During the Vietnam War, lowering the voting age “became a controversial topic” again (House Historian).
Before 1971, each state set its own voting age, and almost all chose 21.
Minimum voting age before the 26th Amendment
Source: Census Bureau, Current Population Survey historical table A-9, note on voting age before 1972
Congress tried a law first, and the Supreme Court upheld only part of it. The Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970 set the voting age at 18 for all elections. On December 21, 1970, in Oregon v. Mitchell, no opinion drew a majority. Justice Hugo Black wrote that ”Congress can fix the age of voters in national elections, such as congressional, senatorial, vice-presidential and presidential elections, but cannot set the voting age in state and local elections.” Four justices joined him on federal elections and four others on state and local ones, so each half of the judgment was 5-4 (Cornell LII).
That left one voting age for federal elections and, in most states, another for state and local ones. About 3 months after the ruling, Congress sent the states an amendment to make the age 18 everywhere.
- Draft age lowered to 18
- Voting Rights Act Amendments
- Oregon v. Mitchell
- Senate passes the amendment
- House passes it
- Ratified
- First national election at 18
From the draft to the ballot box: 1940s: Draft age lowered to 18 ("Old enough to fight, old enough to vote" spreads.). 1970: Voting Rights Act Amendments (Congress sets 18 as the voting age by law.). 1970: Oregon v. Mitchell (The law stands for federal elections only.). 1971: Senate passes the amendment (94 to 0, March 10.). 1971: House passes it (401 to 19, March 23.). 1971: Ratified (North Carolina is the 38th state, July 1.). 1972: First national election at 18 (49.6% of 18-to-24-year-olds report voting.).
How the 26th Amendment Passed and Was Ratified
Almost no one in Congress voted against it. The Senate passed it 94 to 0 on March 10, 1971 (VoteView), and the House 401 to 19 on March 23, 1971 (House Historian).
- 94-0
- Senate, March 10, 1971
- 401-19
- House, March 23, 1971
- 5
- States that ratified the same day Congress passed it
- 100
- Days from Congress to ratification
The states moved just as fast. 5 states ratified on March 23, 1971, the day the House voted. By the end of April, 27 had. North Carolina made it the 38th on July 1, 1971, and it was certified on July 5, 1971 (Constitution Annotated).
When the state ratified
- Within a week of Congress (11 states)
- By July 1, 1971 (27 states)
- North Carolina, the 38th state (July 1, 1971)
- After it took effect (3 states)
- Not listed in our source (8 states)
Later ratification changed nothing in law. The amendment bound every state from July 1, 1971.
Sources: Constitution Annotated (2017 edition), note 18, which lists 42 ratifying states; Census Bureau CPS table A-9 for voting ages before 1972.
| State | Ratified | Voting age before 1971 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | June 30, 1971 | 21 |
| Alaska | April 8, 1971 | 19 |
| Arizona | May 14, 1971 | 21 |
| Arkansas | March 30, 1971 | 21 |
| California | April 19, 1971 | 21 |
| Colorado | April 27, 1971 | 21 |
| Connecticut | March 23, 1971 | 21 |
| Delaware | March 23, 1971 | 21 |
| Florida | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| Georgia | October 4, 1971 | 18 |
| Hawaii | March 24, 1971 | 20 |
| Idaho | March 30, 1971 | 21 |
| Illinois | June 29, 1971 | 21 |
| Indiana | April 8, 1971 | 21 |
| Iowa | March 30, 1971 | 21 |
| Kansas | April 7, 1971 | 21 |
| Kentucky | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 18 |
| Louisiana | April 17, 1971 | 21 |
| Maine | April 9, 1971 | 21 |
| Maryland | April 8, 1971 | 21 |
| Massachusetts | March 24, 1971 | 21 |
| Michigan | April 7, 1971 | 21 |
| Minnesota | March 23, 1971 | 21 |
| Mississippi | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| Missouri | June 14, 1971 | 21 |
| Montana | March 29, 1971 | 21 |
| Nebraska | April 2, 1971 | 21 |
| Nevada | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| New Hampshire | May 13, 1971 | 21 |
| New Jersey | April 3, 1971 | 21 |
| New Mexico | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| New York | June 2, 1971 | 21 |
| North Carolina | July 1, 1971 | 21 |
| North Dakota | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| Ohio | June 30, 1971 | 21 |
| Oklahoma | July 1, 1971 | 21 |
| Oregon | June 4, 1971 | 21 |
| Pennsylvania | April 27, 1971 | 21 |
| Rhode Island | May 27, 1971 | 21 |
| South Carolina | April 28, 1971 | 21 |
| South Dakota | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| Tennessee | March 23, 1971 | 21 |
| Texas | April 27, 1971 | 21 |
| Utah | Not in the Constitution Annotated list | 21 |
| Vermont | April 16, 1971 | 21 |
| Virginia | July 8, 1971 | 21 |
| Washington | March 23, 1971 | 21 |
| West Virginia | April 28, 1971 | 21 |
| Wisconsin | June 22, 1971 | 21 |
| Wyoming | July 8, 1971 | 21 |
Virginia, Wyoming and Georgia ratified after it took effect. The 2017 Constitution Annotated lists no ratification for Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah; some may have acted later.
Among the amendments about who can vote, none moved faster.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| 15th: Voting and race | days342 |
| 19th: Women's suffrage | days441 |
| 23rd: Electoral votes for D.C. | days286 |
| 24th: Ban on poll taxes | days514 |
| 26th: Voting age of 18 | days100 |
Computed from the proposal and ratification dates in the National Archives' list of amendments 11-27. See every amendment in our constitutional amendments guide.
How Many Young People Vote
Young adults have voted less often than people 65 and older in every presidential election since 1972. In the first election after the amendment, 49.6% of 18-to-24-year-olds reported voting. No presidential year since has matched it. The low came in 2000, at 32.3%. In 2024, 43.9% voted, compared with 71.7% of people 65 and older, a gap of 27.8 points (Census Bureau).
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| 1972 | 49.6% |
| 1976 | 42.2% |
| 1980 | 39.9% |
| 1984 | 40.8% |
| 1988 | 36.2% |
| 1992 | 42.8% |
| 1996 | 32.4% |
| 2000 | 32.3% |
| 2004 | 41.9% |
| 2008 | 44.3% |
| 2012 | 38% |
| 2016 | 39.4% |
| 2020 | 48% |
| 2024 | 43.9% |
Source: Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, historical table A-9. Self-reported voting as a share of all people 18 to 24, including noncitizens, so rates run below official turnout of eligible voters.
Midterms draw far fewer young voters. In midterm years, turnout among 18-to-24-year-olds has ranged from 15.9% in 2014 to 30.1% in 2018. In 2022, it was 25.6%, against 64.6% for people 65 and older (Census Bureau).
| Group | Ages 18 to 24 | 65 and older | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 23.8% | 51.4% | +27.6 pts |
| 1978 | 23.5% | 55.9% | +32.4 pts |
| 1982 | 24.8% | 59.9% | +35.1 pts |
| 1986 | 21.9% | 60.9% | +39.0 pts |
| 1990 | 20.4% | 60.3% | +39.9 pts |
| 1994 | 20.1% | 61.3% | +41.2 pts |
| 1998 | 16.6% | 59.5% | +42.9 pts |
| 2002 | 17.2% | 61.0% | +43.8 pts |
| 2006 | 19.9% | 60.5% | +40.6 pts |
| 2010 | 19.6% | 58.9% | +39.3 pts |
| 2014 | 15.9% | 57.5% | +41.6 pts |
| 2018 | 30.1% | 63.8% | +33.7 pts |
| 2022 | 25.6% | 64.6% | +39.0 pts |
Source: Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, historical table A-7. Self-reported voting as a share of all people in each age group.
The next midterm is November 3, 2026. Our midterm elections guide covers what is on the ballot.
The 26th Amendment in Court
Courts have used the amendment to protect where students register, but not to require equal mail-voting rules for every age. “The Supreme Court has not decided any cases interpreting the Twenty-Sixth Amendment,” the Constitution Annotated notes, so lower courts have set its limits (Cornell LII).
Cases decided under the 26th Amendment
Source: Constitution Annotated, The Scope of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment (Cornell LII)
The Texas rule from that case is still in place. Texas lets voters 65 and older vote by mail without another reason, while younger voters must meet one of the law’s other conditions (VoteTexas.gov). See who can vote by mail in Texas and what to do if you qualify.
The 26th is one of 27 amendments. Our guide to all 27 constitutional amendments lists each one with its date and a plain summary.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the voting age lowered from 21 to 18?
On July 1, 1971, when North Carolina became the 38th state to ratify the 26th Amendment. Congress had passed it 100 days earlier, on March 23, 1971, which makes it the fastest amendment ever ratified.
What is the 26th Amendment in simple terms?
It says citizens 18 or older cannot be denied the right to vote, by the federal government or any state, because of their age. It set 18 as the voting age for every election in the country.
Why is the voting age 18?
Because young men could be drafted at 18 but in most states could not vote until 21. “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” became a slogan after the draft age was lowered to 18 in World War II, and the issue returned during the Vietnam War. Congress lowered the voting age by law in 1970, and after the Supreme Court limited that law to federal elections in 1970, Congress passed the amendment.
What was the voting age before the 26th Amendment?
21 in most states. Georgia and Kentucky already let 18-year-olds vote, Alaska set its age at 19 and Hawaii at 20.
Do young people vote?
Less often than older voters. In 1972, the first presidential election after the amendment, 49.6% of 18-to-24-year-olds reported voting. In 2024 it was 43.9%, compared with 71.7% of people 65 and older, according to the Census Bureau.
Can a state let only older voters vote by mail?
So far courts have said yes. In Texas Democratic Party v. Abbott (2020), the Fifth Circuit held that Texas letting voters 65 and older vote by mail without an excuse did not violate the 26th Amendment, because it did not make voting harder for younger voters than it had been before the law. The Seventh Circuit reached the same result for Indiana in 2023.
What You Can Do
- Register if you will be 18 by Election Day. Check your state’s rules and deadline in our voter registration guide.
- Students, register where you live. Courts have held that officials cannot make students prove they plan to stay after graduation. Choose your school address or your home address, and register in one place only.
- Make a plan for November 3. Know your polling place, the ID your state asks for, and your early voting dates. Our voter ID guide lists every state’s rule.
- Help a first-time voter. Share the deadline, the ID rule and the polling place with someone voting for the first time.