What is the legal voting age in the United States?

The legal voting age in the United States is 18 years old. This age requirement is established by the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1971, which was enacted to ensure that citizens who are 18 years or older cannot be denied the right to vote based on age. The amendment arose from a time when 18-year-olds were being drafted to serve in the military during the Vietnam War, highlighting the inconsistency of sending young adults to fight without offering them a voice in the political process.

This standard is uniformly applied across all states, meaning that all citizens must be at least 18 years old on or before election day to register and vote in federal, state, and local elections. The other age options do not reflect current U.S. voting laws, as 16 and 20 are below the minimum voting age, and 21 is above it, although some historical voting laws permitted voting at age 21 before the passing of the 26th Amendment.