Constitution
Amendment 26: Voting Age of Eighteen
Text from National Archives. Explanation last updated September 29, 2026. How we check this
Banaka study guide
In plain English
The Twenty-Sixth Amendment says 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.
It was passed by Congress on March 23, 1971 and ratified on July 1, 1971, roughly one hundred days later, the fastest ratification of any amendment.
The text
As printed by the source cited at the end of this page, with its original spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
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.
Explained section by section
Section 1: eighteen and older
The amendment protects citizens aged eighteen or older from being denied the vote because of their age. States may still set other reasonable qualifications, such as residency and registration, that are not based on age.
Section 2: enforcement
Congress has power to enforce the article by appropriate legislation, the same enforcement formula used in the Thirteenth to Nineteenth Amendments.
Context and current status
The Vietnam War drove the campaign: young men were drafted at eighteen but could not vote. Congress lowered the voting age to eighteen for all elections in the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1970, but in Oregon v. Mitchell (1970) the Supreme Court held that Congress could set the age only for federal elections, not state and local ones.
The amendment was proposed to resolve that problem. Current textual status: in force. The National Archives notes that it modified Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which had referred to twenty-one.
Terms to know
- Voting age
- The minimum age at which a citizen may vote.
- Enforcement clause
- A section giving Congress power to pass laws to carry out an amendment.
Common misconceptions
“The amendment guarantees every eighteen-year-old the vote in all circumstances.”
It bars denial on account of age for citizens eighteen or older. Ordinary requirements such as registration and residency still apply.
How it connects
Links to related provisions and documents, with the reason each one matters here.
- Amendment 14Citizenship, Due Process and Equal ProtectionSection 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment referred to twenty-one, which this amendment changed.
- Amendment 19Women's Right to VoteThe Nineteenth Amendment is another amendment that widened the electorate.
- Article VArticle V of the United States ConstitutionArticle V explains the process it followed, which was the fastest ratification on record.
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Sources and corrections
- Text: National Archives. Checked against the source on September 29, 2026.National Archives transcription of the engrossed Constitution, with original spelling and capitalization. The signature block and the Convention's interlineation note are not reproduced.
- Amendments 11-27: A Transcription — National Archives
- The Interactive Constitution: Twenty-Sixth Amendment — National Constitution Center
Educational material, not legal advice. Spotted a mistake? Tell us; corrections change this page’s update date.