Voting Rights and Civic Engagement

Voting Rights and Age

• Citizens can vote at age 18, due to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971.
• This change in voting age came in response to the Vietnam War, when many young people argued that it was unfair to deny 18-year-olds the right to vote for the people who would send them to war.

Civic Engagement

• Voting is not the only way to engage in civic affairs.
• Many ways exist to participate in government and community affairs, these include joining interest groups, organizing or supporting political activism.
• Volunteering for organizations is another form of civic engagement. This may be a short-term commitment, long-term membership, or participating in activities specific to particular concerns.

Common Cause

• A non-partisan organization advocating for government accountability.
• It seeks reforms in campaign finance and verification of votes to enhance elections' reliability and prevent fraud.
• It advocates for replacing the Electoral College with a popular vote system for presidential elections.

Pluralist View

• The pluralist perspective asserts that ordinary citizens have ample opportunities for political involvement.
• This includes participating in city council subcommittees and local civic organizations.
• Civic organizations are frequently in need of volunteers.

Other Forms of Engagement

• Younger Americans today, express concern for their communities but may not participate in traditional political activism.
• Volunteering and community-based activities can contribute to civic engagement.
• Being involved in the community is an important form of civic engagement.