Age To Vote In The USA: 7 Things Nobody Told You About!

The legal age required to vote varies in different countries.

However, 18 is the most common voting age in most countries. The concept of preregistration allows people below the legal age to preregister themselves to vote in future elections.

Like most other countries, the US president is elected through a formal system of election. These elections happen at three levels: the state level, federal level, and local level. The citizens of a settlement exercise the power to choose authorities that vow to protect their rights, ensure a better life, and do whatever it takes, in legal bounds, to fulfill all duties and promises the people who pay taxes.

A general election takes place in the US at regular intervals of four years. Ballots are cast by those eligible to vote for the president. Before the general elections, however, people are voted for in a system known as primary elections. Supported candidates end up progressing to general elections. Federal systems allow countries to make their own decisions by deciding what is best for them and making this choice systematically. Consequences of such federal elections are faced by the nation as a whole, for it was their collective decision as a unity to elect a particular person or party.

The legal age to vote is 18, but in past years, many have spoken against this rule. The youth has claimed their rights by fighting for a lower voting age. Some feel that the world of tomorrow is a nation of youth, and they deserve every chance to voice their opinions, for it is their right to involve themselves in the formation of a body that will represent a nation they are presently working on. It is important to many people to widen the scope of voter turnout, for it will ensure the unity of brighter minds that are still open to new ideas and are built to thrive in a place empty of the flaws that existed in the world that was once their predecessors'. Thus, with a lower voting age, the law would permit younger men and women to make decisions for the society that they are to live in.

If you enjoy reading this article, you can also read other fun fact articles about why we vote and why we need elections here at Kidadl.

Legal Age To Vote In The USA

The legal voting age in the majority of states is 18 years of age.

For citizens of any state to be able to participate at the time of voting, they need to be exactly or above the age of 18. As soon as citizens turn 18, even if it is before the day of their first election, the law allows them to exercise their voting rights by permitting them to cast a ballot. It is at this age that young people become legal voters and take advantage of their right to vote by voting for the party and legislation that they deem suitable representatives for their country. Thus, a person 18 years of age or older has the right to vote in elections.

Minimum Age To Vote In The USA

Not all states in the USA follow the same guidelines regarding the age at which citizens can vote. Different state legislatures instruct differently.

While the legislature of a state may speak in a slightly altered tone than another, the former is not in stark contrast or extremely unrelated to the latter. All the states in the US do, after all, have one constitution that applies to the country as a whole. The legal voting age in a majority of regions requires citizens to be of or over the age of a young adult. However, over the last few decades, history has witnessed demands for a lower voting age. Civic engagement demands younger people be able to significantly influence elections by placing the power to vote in the hands of young people. This would mean making young people legal voters. This call of civic engagement for a lower voting age was heard, and it yielded a positive outcome.

A few countries, including the USA, have permitted teenagers past the age mark of 16 years to register themselves for voting. This, however, did not permit them to go off and vote at this age. The minimum age requirement remained 18, but the preregistration limit fell to 16 years of age. This means that these young citizens can register themselves as voters, step into the field of voting and cast a ballot as soon as they hit the legal age.

How Age To Vote Is Decided

The 26th amendment in the US constitution sanctions a young adult and ages above as eligible for voting in the process of election, and it forbids the prohibition to vote on the grounds of age. The Supreme Court exercises the power to negate any restrictions of this sort.

All citizens deserve the right to vote for the federal bodies of their country, for it is in the hands of these representatives that their country falls. Thus, citizens are born with the right to vote, and it is in the political interest of Congress and law to ensure that this right to voting is permitted without invalid prohibition. It is no secret that the future lies in the hands of the youth. Those same young people who are expected to build a better future are excluded from major activities that contribute to their tomorrow. Many people feel that it is as unfair as it sounds. In recent years, this injustice to those to whom tomorrow belongs has been acknowledged and slowly acted upon.

The true purpose of lowering the voting age and eliminating the faults in the early Voting Rights Act was to open the gates not just to a fair voting age but also to empower the youth and those with the correct civic knowledge to build a world in favor of a brighter future, with the strengths and impacts of being a voter. Lowering the voting age gave voters access to a wider range and group of citizens, as opposed to what a higher voting age would have forbidden. This meant a louder voice of the majority stemming from a greater whole of civic knowledge. Citizens understood the value of electing their choice to lead society and the impact of their choices on this society as a whole, thereby learning how vital the consequences to their actions are.

Widening the field to vote by allowing the young adult to participate also led to an increase in voter turnout and to elect the federal system based upon a widened spectrum of varying thoughts adjusted together to shape the world most fit for the next generation to live in.

Exceptions For Age To Vote In The USA

To elect the president of the US, the voting age for citizens of the US is at least 18 years and above. However, the law regarding the age of voters is slightly different in every state.

Some states allow for their citizens to be preregistered as voters at ages below 18. Preregistration refers to a term used for when the people of a state are allowed to register themselves as voters at the age of 16 or 17, depending on where they live. For example, Florida and California permit a young citizen, 16 years of age, to register as a voter so that when they turn legal, they can cast a ballot to vote for their choice of president. Other states, like Nevada, let citizens register themselves at the age of 17 so that they can vote when they reach the legal age.

Thus, while the age of 18 grants a person legal power to vote, preregistration at an earlier age secures this right as well.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked reading about the age to vote in the USA, then why not take a look at our articles about Teddy Roosevelt's presidency or Barack Obama facts.