Asked by Yay

Why was it decided to lower the voting age to 18 from 21?

Not enough people were showing up to vote in elections.
College students began to protest a lack of rights.
It was unusual that 18-year-olds could be drafted but could not vote.
Young people were the only group to not receive increased rights.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
It was unusual that 18-year-olds could be drafted but could not vote.

The change (the 26th Amendment, 1971) was driven largely by the Vietnam War-era argument “old enough to fight, old enough to vote” — policymakers and activists pointed out the inconsistency of drafting 18‑year‑olds for military service while denying them the franchise.