Amendment 26: 18-year-olds have the right to vote

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.

This amendment is the greatest amendment as an American citizen. It not only ensure that every citizen over the age of 18 is allowed to vote, but also gives the voting poll age diversity starting right at adulthood as a gained right. This is important because it further encompasses even more voters,  especially younger voters to have a voice in our democracy. It equals out the voting field for new generations and ideals to combat and even overthrow the popular votes of older generations. This really solidifies our rights as adult citizens and the importance of voting. Not discriminating by age, gender, or color are all huge advancements for our nation and we are continuing in a positive direction for positive change.

A good job was done explaining the timeline of voting rights in the video. Starting with African-American males, moving on to women, and then as an extension of the voting rights act we lowered the voting age to 18. This journey has dramatically changed politics and put a stronger focus on younger generations. It is impressive to see how far we have come and will continue to go, but I do not see the voting age going below 18 any time soon. Still this was a monumental amendment for Nixon and one that has allowed a larger voice of the population to participate in our democracy.

I've included this video because near the end, around 4 minutes he starts a speech that speaks to the young adults behind him traveling to Europe. It really covered the beliefs of America and our nation as the peacekeepers, and was a message he wanted them to carry to Europe after the signing of this amendment. It made me think about how this puts so much responsibility on to young adults to make informed, educated decisions and represent America well both in our states and outside of them. Lowering the voting age had such a larger impact than I had thought previously and Nixon's speech really solidified that.