2021-J901

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the passage by the United States Congress of the 26th Amendment

Download PDF

Sponsored By

co-Sponsors

text

2021-J901



Senate Resolution No. 901

BY: Senator MYRIE

CELEBRATING the 50th Anniversary of the passage by
the United States Congress of the 26th Amendment,
providing for the voting rights of 18, 19 and 20
year-olds, to the Constitution of the United States

WHEREAS, On March 23, 1971, Congress passed the 26th Amendment to
the Constitution of the United States, guided by the shared ideals of
freedom, sovereignty, democracy, civil liberties, and individual rights;
and

WHEREAS, Since the lowering of the draft age to 18 in World War II,
there had been repeated efforts to lower the voting age to address the
fact that there were young men who were old enough to fight a world war,
but not old enough to vote in the country they were fighting for; and

WHEREAS, On March 10, 1971, the United States Senate voted 94-0 in
support of proposing an amendment that would lower the minimum voting
age to 18 everywhere in the country, and on March 23rd, the United
States House of Representatives voted 401-19 for the amendment; and

WHEREAS, On July 1, 1971, three-quarters of the states ratified the
amendment, just three months for 38 states to ratify the Amendment, the
fastest any amendment had been approved; and

WHEREAS, The introduction, passage, and ultimate ratification of the
26th Amendment was the culmination of years of work and struggle by
advocates for the rights of young adults across the United States; and

WHEREAS, The ratification of the 26th Amendment ensured young adults
could more fully participate in our democracy and fundamentally changed
the role of women in the civic life of our Nation; and

WHEREAS, The 26th Amendment gave young people rights to directly
participate in the political process and amplified their voices in the
campaigns for civil rights, environmental protection, women's rights and
for ending the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, The 50th Anniversary of Congress' ratification of the 26th
Amendment represents a historical milestone to be lauded and celebrated;
it provides for young adult suffrage, promotes the core values of our
democracy as promised by the Constitution of the United States,
continues to strengthen democratic participation, and inspires future
generations to cherish and preserve the historic precedent established
under the 26th Amendment; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the passage by the United States
Congress of the 26th Amendment, providing for the voting rights of 18,
19 and 20 year-olds, to the Constitution of the United States.

actions

  • 20 / May / 2021
    • REFERRED TO FINANCE
  • 25 / May / 2021
    • REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION
  • 25 / May / 2021
    • ADOPTED

Resolution Details

Law Section:
Resolutions, Legislative

Find and Follow Issues

Explore Issues

Education

Economic Development

Health

Veterans

Transportation

Crime

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.