Like the 15th and 19th amendments before it, the 26th Amendment is direct and to the point in extending the right to vote to a previously disenfranchised group.
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.
With three amendments extending the right to vote I think it is always fair to ask – are we done?
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What other complications could there be? Haven’t we seen them all?? Are you thinking of the lowering-the-age issue?
I don’t think there need to be complications per se – all we need is enough people to decide that there is a group who deserves to be able to vote. Lowering the age limit is probably the most logical prediction.
In some states there is still disenfranchisement for felons who have served their debts to society. That actually is a large number of people who are without the right to vote when they have complied with all the requirements of the justice system.
I was aware of that limitation, but I have not studied it closely enough to decide for sure what I think about it. I consider it entirely possible that perpetual disenfranchisement could legitimately be considered part of the debt to society for some criminal behavior. On the other hand, I have not given it enough thought to draw a definite line as to when that could/should be the case.
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