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Amid increasing support for a Constitutional amendment, Congress passed the 26th Amendment in March 1971. The states promptly ratified it, and President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law...
The Twenty-sixth Amendment (Amendment XXVI) to the United States Constitution established a nationally standardized minimum age of 18 for participation in state and local elections. It was proposed by Congress on March 23, 1971, and it was ratified by three-quarters of the states by July 1, 1971.
It won congressional backing on March 23, 1971, and was ratified by the states on July 1, 1971—marking the shortest interval between Congressional approval and ratification of an amendment in U.S. history.
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.
On March 10, 1971, the U.S. Senate voted 94-0 in favor of the proposed 26th Amendment. On March 23, 1971, the House of Representatives passed the amendment by a vote of 401-19, and the 26th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification the same day.
The Amendment was ratified in less than four months—the shortest ratification period of any constitutional amendment. The Senate Report accompanying the Twenty-Sixth Amendment explained that it was proposed for three main reasons.
Twenty-Sixth Amendment. Section 1: 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: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.