Legal Definitions - Twenty-sixth Amendment

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment is a change to the United States Constitution that was ratified in 1971. It sets the minimum age for voting at 18 years old for all state and federal elections.

Before this amendment, many states had their own laws about the minimum age for voting. Some states allowed people to vote at 18, while others required them to be 21. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment made it so that all states had to allow people who were 18 years old or older to vote.

For example, if a person turns 18 before Election Day, they are eligible to vote in that election. This means that they can have a say in who gets elected to important positions, like the President of the United States or their state's governor.

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment was important because it gave young people a voice in the political process. It recognized that 18-year-olds were old enough to fight and die for their country in the military, so they should also be allowed to vote for the leaders who would send them into battle.