What does the 26th Amendment do?

• A. Lowers the voting age to 18.
• B. Lowers the voting age to 21.
• C. Keeps the voting age at 21.
• D. Establishes a federal voting age of 16.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how voting rights were expanded to young adults. The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, guarantees that the right to vote cannot be denied to anyone 18 years of age or older, and it applies to both federal and state elections. It effectively lowers the voting age nationwide from 21 to 18, settling debates that 18-year-olds who could be drafted for military service should also have a say in elections. This change standardized the minimum voting age across states and closed the gap that kept many young adults from participating. The other options misstate the age change: lowering to 21 would keep things the same as the pre-amendment era in many places, while 16 would be too low.