represents one-eighth of the voting
population. I need not tell you how
influential that group can be — but here
is the point. There is no reason to
believe that we are in fact talking about
a voting group. By and large, Americans
over eighteen have mature, inde-
pendent and varied attitudes about
State and National problems. There is
every reason to believe that they will
exercise their voting privilege with
maturity and individual judgment.
The second, and the only other
statistic to which I will refer, is to me,
both astounding and crucial. Close to
2,300,000 students graduated from high
school in the summer of 1965. They
represented a 92.8 per cent increase in
annual graduates over a ten year period
and a 14.1 per cent increase over 1964.
Undoubtedly, the general population
increase was a contributing factor, but
since total enrollment over the same ten
year period jumped by only 42.8 per
cent, it is fair to say that today, 50 per
cent more of our student population is
graduating from high school than did
ten years ago. And today, in New York
State, all students graduating from high
school must have passed at least three
full-year courses in American history,
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THE VOTE FOR 18-YEAR-OLDS
including the study of national, state,
and local government.
To this, add the facts that today's
student has a greater interest in public
affairs, takes a greater part in helping
to solve national problems, and receives
far more education on the average than
his parents did, and you have an
equation which, roughly stated, directly
equates today's eighteen-year-old with
the twenty-one-year-old of years past.
In short, he has all of those essential
qualities which we have a right to ex-
pect from the responsible voter. In sum,
the 1777 standard of "full-age" is no
longer an accurate gauge of maturity
and responsibility.
Any cut-off age is going to be arbi-
trary as to some of the people. Our
concern, however, must not be with
numbers and quantity. Quality is the
true gauge, — and as quality has im-
proved, it has become incumbent upon
us to seek total involvement of our
mature population in America's
decision-making process— by affording
them access to the ballot box. The
lesson of the classroom will be far more
relevant when the opportunity to vote
is real.
65
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