# What This Bill Does: Lowering the Voting Age to 16

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow 16-year-olds to vote in federal elections. Right now, you have to be 18 to vote anywhere in the United States. If this amendment passed, it would change that rule for the entire country, making 16 the new minimum voting age.

To become law, this amendment would need approval from two-thirds of both the House and Senate, and then three-fourths of all state legislatures would have to ratify it. That's a high bar—constitutional amendments are intentionally difficult to pass because they're permanent changes to our founding document.

The main argument supporters make is that 16-year-olds can work and pay taxes in most states, so they should have a say in how their tax money gets spent. They also point out that some countries and a few U.S. cities already let 16-year-olds vote in certain elections. The idea is that voting at a younger age might get people more engaged in politics earlier in their lives. On the other hand, critics argue that 18 is the standard age of adulthood for most legal purposes, and changing it just for voting could create confusion about what rights and responsibilities come at what age.

If this passed, it would primarily affect teenagers who are 16 and 17 years old. They'd be able to participate in presidential elections, congressional races, and other federal elections. Some states might also choose to lower their voting age for state and local elections, though this amendment only requires the change for federal elections.

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older.

Meng, Grace

 <p><STRONG></STRONG>This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to lower the minimum age for the right to vote from 18 to 16.</p>