This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the ratification of the 26th Amendment—the amendment that guaranteed 18-year-olds the right to vote in all US elections and outlawed age discrimination among eligible voters. Throughout this landmark anniversary we celebrate the youth vote, while recognizing that barriers facing young people, and particularly college students, have prevented us from fulfilling the full promise of the 26th Amendment.
Expanding the youth vote is about more than just age. Today’s youngest generations are the most diverse in our country’s history, and achieving the full promise of the 26th Amendment goes hand-in-hand with striving for racial justice – and against voter suppression.
Young people around the country, on college campuses and in communities throughout the US, are doing extraordinary work to lead movements of democratic participation and civic engagement. Their work is helping transform our democracy for the better.
For more information on the history of the 26th Amendment and how to spread the word about the power of youth voting, visit Students Learn Students Vote.
