On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon signed a bill that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. This bill was passed because, as the nation struggled through the unpopular Vietnamese War, people said that, if 18, 19, and 20 year olds were old enough to die for their country, they were also old enough to participate in the elections that would help set policy, including foreign policy.
Earlier in the year, I discussed some people's ideas about lowering the voting age even lower. If you haven't already read it, you might like to take a peek and see if you agree.
I am busy making every day special by taking a trip through California, Oregon, and Washington.
The daily posts will be minimal during my trip. Happy summer to everyone in the Northern Hemisphere!
Because of that, I was able to vote against Nixon before I was 21 years old. In 1972, I voted for George McGovern. Nixon won, but resigned in shame two years later. Ah, memories. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was my first presidential vote, too, Sandra! My dad tried really hard to get me to vote for Nixon, even though in most elections he favored the Democratic candidate. A few months later my dad became convinced that I had voted for the better candidate, after all--but too late for him not to share a bit of the shame.
DeleteMemories, indeed!