A Republican presidential candidate wants to propose a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age from 18 to 25.
Tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy plans to introduce his proposal during a campaign stop in Iowa with Governor Kim Reynolds (R).
The former CEO told Fox News Digital that he plans to announce a constitutional amendment to raise the voting age from 18 to 25, unless a person serves the nation in the military or as a first responder or can pass the civics test immigrants take when becoming citizens.
“We're going to be talking about this to a large audience of actually young people in Iowa,” Ramaswamy said. “Gov. Kim Reynolds is going to be there tomorrow. There was going to be the perfect place to roll this out tomorrow night to lay out one of the most, I think, bluntly, ambitious proposals we've rolled out in this campaign.
“Which is to say that we want to restore civic duty in the mindset of the next generation of Americans. And how we want to do it is to say that, if you want to vote as an 18-year-old, between the ages of 18 and 25, you need to either do your civic duty through service to the country — that's six months of service in either military service or as a first responder, police, fire or otherwise — or else you have to pass the same civics test an immigrant has to pass in order to become a naturalized citizen who can vote in this country.”
“At age 25, that falls away,” he added.
The GOP candidate also said his proposed amendment would “supercede” the 26th Amendment that sets the national voting age to 18. (RELATED: Vivek Ramaswamy Announces 2024 White House Bid)
Ramaswamy noted that the 26th Amendment was passed in 1971 and that one “of the arguments for that was that if you're going to have a draft, military draft, that brings 18-year-olds in, then they ought to have the right to vote.”
Ramaswamy said he hopes the amendment will help younger Americans get out and vote more by “making voting something that's a true privilege by attaching real civic duty to it.”
“I think we will make it more desirable to vote by actually adding more meaning to the act of voting rather than just emotion that people go through or accustomed to going through. And I think that will actually be positive for our civic culture. And I also think that this can be unifying,” he explained. “Whether you're the kid of a billionaire in the Upper East Side of Manhattan or whether you're the daughter of a single mother in the inner city, it doesn't matter. You have the same requirements to be part of the special group of people at a young age who get to participate in deciding who governs the country. And I think that restores a sense of civic equality and a sense of civic duty that we have long missed in our country.”
What do you think about the proposal? Would raising the voting age to 25 result in chaos? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
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Great idea! Better would be to only allow Military Veterans to vote!
OK. So if an year old can serve in the military but can’t vote, is that fair? (and you want only vets to vote. Logic?)
I DO AGREE. THE CONSTITUTION DOES NEED TO BE TWEAKED. SUCH AS; ESPECIALLY OUR 1ST AND 2ND AMENDMENTS, THAT SHOULD BE SACRED, AND NEVER APPROACHED BY ANY PARTY TO CHANGE. HOWEVER THERE ARE SOME OTHERS THAT DO NEED TO BE TWEAKED / /CHANGED, (FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE USA)..
I’M ALSO BEGINNING TO QUESTION, AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE PRESIDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE SUCH POWERS, ESPECIALLY EXECUTIVE ORDERS, AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE WRONG HANDS OF A GONE ROGUE PRESIDENT, WHAT HAVOC HE CAN DO TO OUR SYSTEM.
I ALSO THINK THAT THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY, NEEDS TO BE TONED DOWN, HE DOESN’T NEED, 2 GIGANTIC PLANES, 2 HUGE HELICOPTERS, A CAR LIKE A TANK, AND EVERYWHERE HE GOES, A TRIBE OF VEHICLES, MAKE IT SEEM LIKE A CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN, THE FANFARE NEEDS TO BE STOPPED, IT COSTS MANY BILLIONS,TO JUST KEEP THE PRESIDENT IN STYLE, THIS IS CRAZY.
AND…SO IS THE LUDICROUS, LIFETIME POSITIONS FOR JUDGES, AND THESE SHOULD BE ABOLISHED, “”ANCHOR BABIES / LOTTERIES””, “” DODD-FRANK BILL””, AND THE GOVERNMENT BEING IN THE, “”LOAN BUSINESS””.
First I do not know this guy and I would never vote for him if Donald Trump was his opponent. That said I think his idea is brilliant as long as he includes paper ballots and voter ID.
I do like Vivek Ramaswamy a lot. Very very intelligent and he was born and raised in America. Has great ideas and I would not be shocked if he is chosen by Trump to be VP. I would support that. I do like DeSantis and I think Trump could pick him. What I like about both of them is that they could be VP and then become President. That would mean 12 years of people that could shake up America and turn it back into the country that I loved.
Absolulutely I’m in favor of that! Kids today don’t mature nearly as quickly as they use to, because of all the liberal initiatives and brainwashing that have taken place these past several years! Many eighteen year olds think like 14-year-olds now, and they don’t have a clue about what life’s all about with what’s taught in their homes and schools now. So YES — I would absolutely support a change for an older voting requirement!
I think raising the voting age to 25 as proposed Vivik is a super idea with the qualifications proposed by which an 18 year old recives the privilege by passing a civics tast similiar the requirement to becoming a US citizen. Veterans ans first reaponders under 25 should also teceive the voting privilege. It could also reserect the teaching of civics in our school system which would be healthy for our country by generating informed citizens.
Not sure about raising the voting age to 25, but it was a mistake to lower it to 18. I have recently said that I believe it should be raised back to 21.Voting is not simply a “Right” but it is also a Solemn Responsibility. Voters should be sufficiently knowledgeable of the issues and candidates to make informed decisions. Those of age 18 generally don’t have the discernment and knowledge to do this. This is why I support Voter ID and against pernicious ballot harvesting. Our very freedom–and our Republic, depends on individual responsibility and accountability.
Perhaps this is just an opening position to try to achieve repeal of the absurd amendment that gave 18-year-olds the vote. 18-year old children don’t have sufficient maturity or life experiences to be trusted to own guns without adult supervision, decide their own health care or vote.
There was a time when 18 year olds did have the maturity to be trusted with adult matters. My parents were married at 18 and were extremely successful as parents and as human beings – the best people I ever knew. Thanks to generations of government schooling, we are a nation of perpetual children at ages far beyond 18. In fact, it seems to me that most people never grow up.
First you would need to change the age of entering the military to 21
I think 21 would be ok, but I really dont know this guy running and not sure I like him messing with our constitution . The real problem here is legal votes. Pass Voter ID, period . Or you dont vote . No more of this absentee ballet stuff. Unless military or disabled . People need to get to the polls like we use to . And every precinct needs to have poll workers and independent persons to oversee , I would prefer a legal rep to be at all polls that are vulnerable.
IF my child can be in the military at 18, and have a weapon to fight for this country , then yes he should have every right to vote . Lets get through this disaster that needs to be fixed first,, before trying to change the constitution . How about term limits !!!!!!!!!!!
How about restoring AMERICA
Im leaning TRUMP right now , no matter what this administration is doing to him to disgrace him . This is political persecution , it should never happen on both sides .
And stop letting this 1 percent of liberal , So called Americans to control the agenda .
Independent American Voter Here
Yes needed Now
Update, revise
Yes but it needs to be 4 years of service, good service, and really would like to see it raised to 40 but will take 25,
There’s a song that goes, “You’re old enough to kill, but not for voting.” We should leave the Constitution alone. US citizens are negligent enough in that they don’t exercise their right to vote. We don’t need a Constitutional amendment tell them they can’t vote until they’re 25.
I like most of what I’ve heard from from Vivek, but this is a disappointingly stupid idea. So first, we’re going to separate who is allowed to vote based on occupation – you either have to be a cop or be willing to go die in a CIA ignited regime change war like Ukraine or somewhere? Makes as much sense as arbitrarily designating “essential businesses” during Covid. And, as much as the ignorance of most voters today disgusts me, I’m pretty sure that having to take a test for the privilege of voting is about as unconstitutional as it gets.
Good idea
Would show the general civic ignorance of most young people
Voting is not a Right! It is subject to limitations, such as being an ‘adult,’ and being a member of the political region that is conducting the election(s).
Why be an adult? “Knowledge” and “intelligence,” which need no extended discussion because the average mature human just KNOWS how much intelligence is required to vote wisely.
The voting age was 21 until the Vietnam era when it was lowered to allow those eligable for the draft and who could serve in a war to vote. Now there is neither a draft nor a war so there is no reason not to change it back to the original. On other changes, the states would not ratify the Constitution and join the union until the Bill of Rights (first ten ammendments) were included. If they are changed, the states should rightly be allowed to withdraw their ratification and withdraw from the union.
I wholeheartedly agree. 18 year olds should not be allowed to vote unless they can pass that test.After watching reporters on the street questioning students at colleges basic questions like how many states are there, what countries border the USA and other simple things like that, I am convinced that all university professors are teaching kids are radical left wing concepts.Let them grow up a little before they can have an effect on such an important position.
Also, strip the president of the ability to write executive orders. This current person has proved to us with no doubt haw dangerous that can be with his ruination of our society. Or maybe for emergencies a president can write an executive order that is effective for 60 days until Congress can review and approve or disapprove it.
Why not have a standardized civics test without the drop-off age requirement? Personally, I am appalled that our form of government, Constitution, Declaration, and history of our civil underpinnings are no longer faithfully taught, or worse, are taught a false version of these.
How is someone competent to vote on who will uphold our Constitution when they don’t even understand the basics of this fundamental document?
The problem is not age, the problem is our government schools that have violated their requirements to teach our generation. We have teacher’s unions and the Federal Government that have usurped the responsibility of raising children. They have eviscerated our history and especially the constitutional history and the sacrifices made to bring this nation forward. Lets return to parents running the schools and stop all the terrible costs of providing ball fields, arenas, basketball courts, running tracs and all amenities that have nothing to do with education and bring up moral and responsible citizens.
That is why there were no government schools at the beginning.
Vivek might just have a point here. Inceasingly hear, as also borne out by my experience, that a human brain, its frontal cortex and its integration, does not fully mature until age 25. O f course, now in my second childhood, how shoul I know?
Some people will have their right to vote taken away for a few years if this amendment is proposed and ratified. This is problematic for those under 25 years of age who have exercised their right to vote unless they are grandfathered in. I registered to vote as soon I could after the voting age was lowered to 18. I was 20 at the time and first voted the year I reached the age of 21 (1972). Had they repealed that amendment raising the age to 25 before the next election year I would have been angered by it unless they made exceptions for those who voted before the repealing of the amendment lowering the voting age to 18. This could cause the lowering of voter turnout in future elections. When I was in high school American Government was a required class we had to pass to graduate from high school in the Omaha Public Schools. It was a class we took as seniors. With 18 as the minimum voting age you should be required to take an American Government class in your junior year since some seniors are 18 years of age. You should need to pass this class to be able to vote. It is important to be educated about American Government before you vote. I was not 18 years of age until a couple of months after my high school graduation and given that 18 year olds could not vote at that time the senior year was an appropriate time for students to take the American Government class.