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Voting in primaries at 17 years old

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In several states, 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the time of the next general election are permitted to vote in that year's primaries and caucuses. Since primary and caucus processes are often determined by the parties themselves, there are some states in which a 17-year-old may vote, even if there is no state law explicitly permitting it.[1][2][3]


HIGHLIGHTS
  • The 26th Amendment, which sets a nationwide minimum voting age of 18, was adopted in July 1971. This amendment prohibits states from raising the minimum voting age.
  • As of May 2024, 19 states and the District of Columbia allowed 17-year-olds turning 18 by the time of the general election to vote in that year's congressional primaries.
  • In 20 states and the District of Columbia, 17-year-olds could vote in the presidential primaries and/or caucuses of both major parties. In an additional four states, 17-year-olds could participate only in Democratic presidential primaries and/or caucuses.

    • Usage

    Congressional primaries

    The map below shows which states allowed 17-year-olds to vote in congressional primaries as of May 2024. These states are displayed in green. The table below the map provides further details, including links to relevant state laws.[1]

    17-year-old voting by state, congressional primaries
    State Statute
    Connecticut Conn. Const. art. 6, § 11
    Delaware Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 1701, 3110
    District of Columbia D.C. Code Ann. § 1-1001.02
    Illinois 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/3-6
    Indiana Ind. Code §3-7-13-2
    Iowa Iowa Code § 48A.5
    Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. § 116.055
    Maine Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, §111-A
    Maryland Md. Code Ann., Elec. Law § 3-102
    Mississippi Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-11
    Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-110
    New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-4-2
    North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-59
    Ohio Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.011
    Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-3
    South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 7-9-20
    Utah Utah Code Ann. § 20A-2-101
    Vermont Vt. Const. ch. II, § 42
    Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-403
    West Virginia W. Va. Code § 3-2-2

    Presidential primaries and caucuses

    The map below shows which states allow certain 17-year-olds to vote in presidential primaries and caucuses as of May 2024. These states are displayed in green. In some states, only members of a certain party were permitted to vote at 17 in presidential primaries and caucuses. These states are displayed in orange.[3]

    17-year-old voting by state, presidential primaries and caucuses
    State 17-year-old voting
    Connecticut Yes
    Delaware Yes
    District of Columbia Yes
    Illinois Yes
    Indiana Yes
    Iowa Yes
    Kentucky Yes
    Maine Yes
    Maryland Yes
    Mississippi Yes
    Nebraska Yes
    Nevada Yes
    New Mexico Yes
    North Carolina Yes
    Ohio Yes
    Rhode Island Yes
    South Carolina Yes
    Utah Yes
    Vermont Yes
    Virginia Yes
    West Virginia Yes
    Alaska Yes (Dem. only)
    Hawaii Yes (Dem. only)
    North Dakota Yes (Dem. only)
    Wyoming Yes (Dem. only)
    Source: Rock the Vote

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    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 NCSL, "Voting age for Primary Elections," May 17, 2024
    2. ↑ FairVote, "17-year-old Primary Voting," accessed May 17, 2023
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rock the Vote, "Primaries and Caucuses," accessed May 17, 2024

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