This is how Republicans rebrand themselves to win the youth vote: by ratifying a Constitutional Amendment that has been law since the Nixon era.
The 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, passed Congress in March 1971. It had its 38th state ratification by July 1971. Four more states threw in that year.
Congress passed the 26th after the end of South Dakota's 1971 Legislative session. No one thought it necessary to call a special session to ratify the 26th Amendment, but the 1971 Legislature had placed on the ballot an amendment to the state constitution to lower South Dakota's voting age to 18. That measure passed in 1972 73% to 27%, and 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds have been voting here (though not enough!) ever since.
We have ratified the right of 18-year-olds to vote in our own state constitution and in practice. But we haven't officially put South Dakota's name on the 26th Amendment.
Thus, in his first act of legislative derring-do, gubernatorial appointee Senator Chuck Jones (R-8/Flandreau) brings Senate Joint Resolution 1, South Dakota's formal ratification of the 42-year-old law of the land. Yay.
But let's not snark too much: for South Dakota Republicans, even this limp, long-delayed affirmation of the 26th Amendment is a nice change from their usual tack of trying to take voting rights away from folks who tend not to vote Republican. Keep it up, Senate!
Imagine SDGOP courting 18 year olds today when civil, reproductive, water and property rights are being eliminated.
Why is this not surprising?
South Dakota is not only 43 years behind in ratifying the 18 year old vote, they are also decades behind in most of everything.
IP is it not easy talking progressiveness while young and child free knowing the Feds have blackmailed all youth into submission in zero alcohol policy all the while laundering big $$$$ for sick old folks from all their older friends? Who will they end up voting for? Icebergs Rising!!!
Charlie, very soon my daughters will flee the chemical toilet for blue states and i will care no longer. You people can pave the state from border to border after that for all i care.
Iceberg is an apt description of today's typical rw wingnut pol. Cold,aloof,heartless,no soul,no vision,going with the flow,crumbling apart and a danger to anything in it's path. On the bright side,they diminish with each passing day. Soon to be a distant memory,a footnote in history when one imagines the damage they could have bestowed given more time.
Ratifying the 18 year olds right to vote more than 2 generations after its national adoption is indicative of how little the state thinks of its youth, their ideas, and their public participation.
I was at USD in the Government Dept. (Now Political Science). Once a year the Gov't club or whatever it was called would go to Pierre around time of the legislative session. We presented the case for 18 year old voting then..mostly the Vietnam War, etc. I presented some testimony and what I thought was a reasoned proposal which also ended up in the Argus Leader.
A lot of water under some bridge someplace since then.
A question that comes to mind is whether this was a mere oversight or was it intentionally not ratified?
Roger, there are no accidents.