Evening star., 1954-01-14
The Political Mill 7
Vote for Youths Seen
Gaining Strong Booking
LANCER initiates Move in
Senate Judiciary Group
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

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By Gould Lincoln
An important item in the program
the President recently submitted to
Congress is an amendment to the
Constitution making 18-year-olds ELI
gible to vote in all the States. Today
this privilege is extended to the young
people in only one State-Georgia. The
Presidents proposal is not new to
Congress. Apparently, however, it is to
receive more attention than ever be-
fore. Senator LANCER Of North Dakota,
chairman Of the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee, has said he will move quickly
to have a constitutional amendment
giving suffrage to the 18-year-olds and
to those who are 19 and 20 reported
favorably. He is chairman of a sub
committee which held hearings on
resolutions for this purpose offered by
himself and by Senator Humphrey,
Democrat, Of Minnesota last summer.
In addition to LANCER. the members of
the subcommittee are Senators Dirksen
OF Illinois and Butler of Maryland, Re-
publ1cans, and Kilgore of West Virginia
and Kefauver Of Tennessee, Democrats.
Chairman LANCER believes that not only
the subcommittee but also a majority
of the full committee and Of the Senate
itself favor lowering the voting age.
Up to States.
The. Constitution left to the States
the qualifications of voters. Two
amendments have been adopted, one
II which provides there shall be no
abridgment of the right to vote be-
cause OF race or color, and the other,
no abrldgment because of sex. The
hrst came after a hard-fought Civil
war. and the second, after years of
campaigning by American women.
Many persons today believe that the
issue OF youth voting should be left
to the States: that no State should
have 18-year-old voters forced upon it,.
Politics. as well as the justice and
wisdom Of granting suffrage to the
youth Of the country, is likely to plav
JUS part in the fight over the proposed
new amendment. It has been estimated
That If the amendment is adopted. it
will add between million and 7 million
potential voters.
The first political question is: To
Wnlcn party would these votes be
hkely to go. Democratic or Republican?
In the 20 years from 1882 to 1852, the
young voters generally lined up with
tne DemocratS-New Deal and Fair
Deal. Then in 1852 they shifted to
president Eisenhower in large numbers.
How strong they were for Republican
congressional candidates in 1852 is
another question. and how strong they
Will be for the G. o. p next November
mas still to be answered. The proposed
constitutional amendment lowering the
voting age to 18 and adding millions
more young voters cannot possibly be
IN operation this year. If the resolu-
ZION proposing the amendment should
De ADOPTED by two-thirds vote of
potn houses of Congress-the vote
reQulred-the amendment would still
nave 70 be ratified by three-fourths of
the AZ States and that takes time. II
Is therefore, to future elections the
young people would make their con-
trloutions. Conceivably, the added
new voters would upset party control
IN number of close congressional
olstricts. provided the young people
voted pretty well together.
The Political Effects.
However, Republicans and Demo-
cratS alike in Congress may have to
ugure out an answer to another politi-
cal question before they vote on the
proposed amendment. That is, will a
vote against the amendment hurt them
ana their parties in their own particu-
lar districts and States? The young
voters OF the country, judging from the
leaoerS OF both the Young Democrats
ana the Young Republicans are sup
porting the proposal to let the 18-year-
olds vote. A showdown vote in either
or both the Senate and the House is
something members of those bodies
may wish to avoid.
Inc draft OF young men for military
service at l8 years of age in two world
wars and in the Korean war-and in
tne present drive for adequate national
oefense-all bring into focus the de-
mana Tor lowering the voting age. A
man old enough to fight. it is argued.
is OLD enough to vote. But that is not
the only argument advanced Several
educators appearing before the Senate
committee have said that a boy or girl
who has had high-school education
is well qualified to vote; that they have
had instruction in history and civics.
ana that II they are given the respon-
slblllty of suffrage Immediately it will
be better than after an interval of
three years. In Massachusetts,, Gov.
Herter, Republican proposed that the
Massachusetts Legislature grant 18-
year-olds full suffrage-the day before
PRESIDENT Eisenhower submitted his
state-of-the- Union message to Con-
gress. In that State girl of 18 may
legally marry as she pleases. If she is
capable of picking husband-or ac-
ceptlng one-she should be qualified to
pick candidate for office.