GHEA21 Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Case Study
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
When the U.S. ratified the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, supporters predicted a surge of voting among young people. But in fact, voting rates are lower for young people than for other age groups. The standard explanation is that young people are transient, distracted by college and other activities, and have not yet embraced civic habits and responsibilities. However, another reason deserves consideration: state and local election officials create barriers to voting, purposefully or otherwise, especially in college towns. The case is a part of a larger project on student voting rights that focuses on the history of four institutions: Tuskegee University, Prairie View A&M University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Bard College.
Recommended Citation
Euchner, Charles, "Bard College: The Battle for Youth Voting Rights" (2025). GHEA21 Open Educational Resources. 43.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/osun_oer/43
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License