Phoenix High School Educators Help Students Register to Vote

Submitted by Eric Beavers
on January 25th, 2012 at 10:53:30 AM

Phoenix High School educator Donna Haley recently held a voter registration day for Phoenix students to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 26th Amendment that empowered 18-year-olds with the right to vote.

Principal Fred Toney, Assistant Principal Huey Talley, and Guidance Counselor Dr. Beth Hayes helped Haley register 205 students.

The registration coincided with Haley’s social studies lesson that took students back to 1865, the beginning of the long-fought battle to extend the right to vote to 18-year-olds. Young adults felt that if 18- to 20-year-olds could fight for their country, marry, make contracts, and be held legally responsible for their actions, then they should also be able to vote.

The call for the 26th Amendment intensified during the Vietnam War. While many 18-year-olds were being drafted into the Armed Services, they were unable to have any impact on the political policies that were sending them to fight. With many young people protesting the Vietnam War, Congress relented and proposed the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ratification process happened from March 1971 to June 1971–a record time of just 99 days.

After ratification of the 26th Amendment, all citizens age 18 and older could vote in all state, local, and national elections. This major step forward extended full citizenship rights to everyone asked to participate in American society.

The call to extend voting rights to 18-year olds was proposed during the Civil War in 1865. The U.S. fought in several more wars before the proposal finally earned amendment status and ratification in 1971!

Congratulations to those empowered with the right to vote and participate in the electoral process.

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