VOTING FOR 18-YEAR OLDS NOW ON BOOKS 20 YEARS

As the casualty rate of young men fighting in the Vietnam War rose in 1971, an "old enough to fight, old enough to vote" sentiment swept the country, leading to the passage of the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, was ratified 20 years ago today, getting the required three-fourths approval of states. About 11 million 18- to 20-year olds cast ballots during the presidential election of 1972 to exercise their newly acquired constitutional right.

Deputy County Clerk Betty Hahs, who supervises elections in Cape Girardeau County, worked at that office in 1971 and remembers well the debate.

"There were many people who wondered if an 18-year old was old enough to make political decisions," said Hahs. "They weren't sure that younger people would study the candidates like older voters did."

But the majority of public opinion showed overwhelming support for allowing the young voting age. The bill flew through Congress in March of 1971 with Senate approval of 94-0, followed by a House of Representatives vote of 400-19.

Rick Althaus, assistant professor of political science at Southeast Missouri State University, also recalls the days surrounding passage of the amendment.

"I was 19 when it was passed," said Althaus. "Before the amendment there was concern among the group my age that we could be drafted but wouldn't be able to vote for the people who make that policy. There was really a glaring irony there.

"It was exciting and confusing. Some states had experimented with allowing 18-year olds to vote, so young people in those states could vote for governor but not president. Congress had also experimented with statutes which lowered the voting age. An amendment was added to the constitution to change the voting age at both the federal and state levels."

Although the 26th was the most quickly ratified of the amendments, it appears to be one of the least utilized. While the total number of voters nationwide has increased steadily over the past 20 years, young-voter turnout slumped to a record low of 10.7 million during the last presidential election.

The turnout of young people in state and local elections is even lower than in national elections.

Of the 30,183 voters registered in Cape Girardeau County as of June 5, only 1,536 were between the ages of 18 and 21.

These voting figures come as no surprise. Althaus pointed out that the number of births around 1971 was lower than in previous generations, thus resulting in fewer people in the young-voter age bracket now.

Population trends, however, are not the only explanation for voting habits of the young. Peter Bergerson, professor of political science at Southeast Missouri State University, said the youth vote, which has never been very high, is a reflection of how people are politically socialized.

"Youth and young voters have less of a voting commitment," said Bergerson. "Their lives are in a state of transition; they're establishing themselves in a career. They are less likely at this point to identify with government politics and political parties and are subsequently less likely to vote."

Althaus added that many young voters are away at college during voting times and must go through the absentee ballot process in order to vote.

"It's not extremely difficult," he said, "but to vote they have to plan ahead. It ends up being kind of a hassle."

Bergerson also attributed the decline in young voter participation in part to a reduction in activity of political parties to reach out for the younger vote.

"Youth voter turnout may have been higher in the past," he said, "because of the issues Vietnam, the environment. The political agenda of the country has moved away from a youth orientation, so the type of issues out there today are not attractive to young people."

Althaus said the kinds of issues that were in existence in the early 1970s, such as opposition to the war and civil rights unrest are not present today.

Failure to register to vote in time is often a factor in the lower young voter turnout, Bergerson said. Youth often get interested in elections and politics at the end of a campaign, he said, but if they haven't registered a month to six weeks in advance of the election, they can't vote.

Hahs said employees of the county clerk's office have been going to local high schools at the end of academic years to register eligible students. However, young voter behavior patterns are not expected to improve.

"The youth vote is a function of age," said Bergerson. "It's their station of life."