The Right to Vote

Section 1 of the the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution reads:

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

On December 20th of 2007, the State of Maryland has interpreted this to mean that children who are 17 years old can vote in the primary election. However, the Board of Elections did state that these children must be 18 by the general election.

One must agree that the Constitution is quite ambiguous on the 26th Amendment. It says "18", but is it really 18, or close to 18? What if you are very mature for your age? It clearly does not take this into consideration.

What if you are 17 years old and have a beard and can get away with buying beer at the liquor store? Most people would think this dude is 18. It's so very confusing.

This amendment could be interpreted multiple ways and luckily for us here in Maryland, they have cleared this up. Maryland believes that the Constitution is a "living document", meaning that it can be interpreted any way you want per the circumstances at the time. What the amendment really means is, "If you are close to 18, you can vote."

It is estimated that nearly six 17 year-old's will vote in the Primary Election next year. Most of the eligible 17 year old's in Baltimore City, however, will be in prison, so turnout is expected to be low there.