Friend,

Welcome to the first installment in a new series from Voting Rights Fund (VRF). As a leader in the voting rights space, VRF is dedicated to promoting voter access, protecting election integrity, and endorsing candidates who are champions of democratic principles. We drive change by identifying and funding candidates with strong voting rights backgrounds. VRF-supported candidates seek to provide protection for at-risk communities and voters, encourage exercise of the franchise, ensure transparency, and secure election processes.

In this series, we will highlight key moments in the rich history of voting rights in the United States. This week, we focus on the critical role of youth voters—and the long struggle to ensure their voices are heard.

The Youth Vote: Then and Now

Youth voting turnout (18-24) is steadily decreasing. In the 2024 election, youth voters had the lowest turnout of any age group. Between 2020 and 2024, youth turnout dropped by close to 10%. At Voting Rights Fund, voter turnout is a core priority for us and the candidates we endorse. In presidential races, over half of the eligible population of youth voters register to vote, and under half of registered youths make it to the polls.

Despite recent setbacks, youth activism has been central to the expansion of voting rights in America—and VRF is passionate about reviving that legacy. We believe younger generations bring essential voices and perspectives to the democratic process, and their interests must be reflected in every level of government.

During World War II, as Congress lowered the draft age to eighteen in 1942, young Americans were being chosen to serve without political enfranchisement. Freshly drafted 18-year-olds, frustrated by their lack of agency, created the “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote” movement to protest the hypocrisy. During the Vietnam War, the movement found a resurgence as young soldiers and students reinvigorated the idea, carrying the legacy of their parent’s generation.

Backed by a growing coalition, including the NAACP, the National Education Association, and sitting presidents like Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, the movement achieved its goal in 1971. The ratification of the 26th Amendment, the fastest in U.S. history, lowered the federal voting age to 18 and enshrined a vital step toward youth enfranchisement. The 1971 amendment was a historic victory for youth representation in voting and remains the fastest ratified Constitutional amendment ever.

Symm vs. United States: The Fight for College Addresses

After the passage of the 26th amendment, young people continued to encounter legal barriers to their right to vote. In Waller County Texas, home to Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), college students sought to register to vote using their dorm address. LeRoy Symm, the local voter registrar, viewed student residents of Waller County as illegitimate, and forced students to fill out a discriminatory questionnaire about their residency status, designed to exclude college students from registering.

In 1979, the Supreme Court ruled in Symm v. United States and affirmed the students right to vote in their university’s district. The ruling affirmed the students' right to vote and upheld the 26th Amendment by allowing individuals 18 years and older to maintain access to their voting rights.

Today, VRF and our champions continue the fight to uphold the protections and accessibility of elections everywhere. Our leaders are co-sponsors and supporters of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which expands polling locations, strengthens early voting access, and recognizes diverse forms of identification—helping ensure that college-aged voters remain politically empowered. By expanding polling locations, increasing early voting opportunities, and accepting various forms of identification, college-aged voters are still able to vote and remain politically engaged. VRF is committed to funding and endorsing leaders who work within their communities to uphold the history of youth political engagement and protect and expand their rights and representation.

If you’d like to help us continue this work, please consider visiting our website or making a contribution. Every voice, every vote, and every donor helps sustain this movement.

The Voting Rights Fund Team

P.S. The best way to fight for voting rights is to bring as many people into the movement as possible. Please help us expand our reach by forwarding this email to a few friends or family.

Paid for by Voting Rights Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee