A big question asked during the Vietnam War was why it was okay for an 18 year-old to get drafted, handed a gun, and then sent off to a war to kill total strangers for a very murky reason while these same people were denied any say in who got to be those who declared the wars that they had others fight.
That is why, among other reasons, the 26th Amendment came to be in March 1971 with the states quickly ratifying it and President Richard M. Nixon signing it into law that July.
It lowered the federal voting age to 18, the age at which all males were required by law to register for the draft.
This followed the Voting Rights Act, so it initially had a huge affect on elections.
But, as time went on, voting at 18 or at any age began to fall off for a variety of reasons, the saddest ones being having no time, simply forgetting, nothing good happens anyway except we get a lot to complain about until we don’t vote again the next time.
It is one thing to tell people to vote, ranting at those who don’t and practically begging for people to help make the country better in a proper way, it is another to at least attempt to create conditions that would increase voting.
Elizabeth Warren grew up during the time when a lower voting age was demanded and established. She knows the history and the hindrances.
Along with Georgia Representative Nikima Williams, Warren has introduced the Youth Voting Rights Act to help enforce the 26th Amendment and expand youth access to voting.
According to Warren the purpose of the bill is to
“expand voter registration at public colleges and universities, ensure all states allow 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote, require colleges and universities to have polling places on campus and ensure that all states include student IDs as a form of voter ID.”
The ACT also prohibits residency requirements. You will not have to have lived in an state or municipality for a set period of time before being able to vote in federal elections.
It will also establish a program dedicated to youth involvement in elections and collect data on youth voter registration and election participation.
Warren also explained that
“Voting is the beating heart of our democracy. Young people are the future of America, and with voting rights under attack across the country, we must do everything we can to ensure they can exercise their right to vote.”
“My new bicameral bill with Congresswoman Williams will ensure young people aren’t left out of the voting process, and I’m thrilled to partner with her and my colleagues on this effort.”
It might not be the full answer to the problem of reluctant voters, but it is one step more than none, one step further than the talking that some feel effectively replaces actual solutions.
However, realistically, you can bring a horse to water and even raise a pail of it to the horse’s lip, but the rest is up to the horse.
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