January 29, 1969

Lower Voting Age Desirable With Test

A proposal now before the Ohio General Assembly to lower the voting age to 18 provides an opportunity to build some badly needed political awareness into voting qualifications.

The pros and cons of the proposal will be widely debated in the coming months.  Predictably, the arguments will hinge on

1. the responsibility of young people,
2. fairness of enfranchising those subject to military service,
3. increased democracy, and
4. further enfeeblement of the U.  S.  Constitution.

It is not likely that much thought will be given to the most important problem — establishment of an INFORMED electorate.

I suggest that the age of the voter is not so significant as is his political awareness — a characteristic consisting of knowledge, experience and a willingness to put country above self.

We have an insufficient quantity of this precious commodity as it is.  Extension of the franchise to a group that has had the least opportunity to develop political sagacity should be undertaken only with safeguards.

We tend to think of voting as a "right" due free citizens.  However, the Founding Fathers clearly considered it a "privilege" earned by some demonstration of responsibility.

During the Revolutionary Era voters had to be free, adult males owning taxable property.  About six per cent of the total population was eligible to vote, as compared to about 50 per cent today.  It is interesting to note that this nation's greatest growth and development of personal freedom occurred when voting was tightly restricted.

The U.S.  Constitution has little to say about the qualifications of voters, leaving the matter generally to the states.  Article I, Section 4 says; "The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations."

Congress has intruded States' rights on voting qualifications only in Amendments 15 and 19 prohibiting the states from denying the franchise to Negroes and women.

The Constitution does indicate that 21 is considered the proper voting age.  Amendment 14, guaranteeing equal protection of the laws to all citizens says: "But when the right to vote at any election ... is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being 21 years of age ... the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens 21 years of age in such State."

As a result of Federal permissiveness, qualifications for voting vary widely among the States.  All states have residency requirements.  Seventeen states have literacy tests as a prerequisite to voting.

Age requirements have been lowered in four states: Hawaii 20, Alaska 19, Georgia and Kentucky 18.

New York has a reading and writing test at the fifth grade level for first voters.  It is interesting that the test is prepared and administered each year by the state educational department, not by election officials.

The New York system of voter qualification contains the germ of a good idea's for all states.

If we assume that intelligent voting is crucial to republican government, then we are justified in requiring our citizens to demonstrate their ability to exercise their franchise intelligently.

We require a demonstration of basic knowledge of motor laws and driving skill before we grant the privilege to use public highways.  Careless voting is capable of doing greater damage than careless driving.

Just as we require a probationary period for drivers while they are under going driver training, so I would insist that a prospective voter declare his intention to vote at some designated time in the future.  A 25-month learning and observing period would not be unreasonable, but, even a six-month waiting period would be useful.  In this way the prospective voter would have to watch at least one state-wide election in an interested manner before he would be entrusted with a ballot.

Thus I would encourage registration as early as age 18, with voting privileges at age 20 after a basic test of knowledge of our Constitution.

My principal objection of lowering the voting age, particularly to 18, is that a person is just becoming aware of politics at that age.  He has no background upon which to form a reasonable judgment.

During the last presidential campaign, for example, the young activists that followed Eugene McCarthy, Bobby Kennedy and, finally, Hubert Humphrey screamed that Nixon would not debate.

This was much ado about nothing, as they would have known and remembered had they been politically aware four years earlier when Johnson refused to debate Goldwater, or even one-year earlier when Kennedy refused to debate McCarthy.

It is certainly true that many teenagers are more knowledgeable than their elders about politics.  But this is the exception, not the rule.  It is a myth that young people are more concerned about or more dedicated to national problems than the rest of us.  They are just more noisy and objectionable about it.

I would welcome extension of voting privileges to those young people able to demonstrate responsibility.  Their energy and vitality would be a valuable addition to the political scene.

On the other hand, I oppose indiscriminate extension of the franchise to any group prone to selfish or impulsive actions.

What this country needs is not more democracy, but more responsibility.

Author: Lindsey Williams