H.J. Res. 16 is a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the United States Constitution that would extend the right to vote to citizens aged 16 years or older. The resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives on January 9, 2025, by Representative Meng and co-sponsored by Representatives Casten, Bonamici, Pressley, Schakowsky, Mullin, and Tlaib. The proposed amendment would repeal the 26th Amendment, which currently sets the minimum voting age at 18, and replace it with a new amendment prohibiting the denial or abridgment of the right to vote for citizens aged 16 or older on account of age. The amendment would grant Congress the power to enforce this article through appropriate legislation. To become part of the Constitution, the proposed amendment must be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states within seven years after its submission for ratification.
This bill, known as H.J. Res. 16, suggests changing the Constitution of the United States to allow people who are 16 years old or older to vote. Right now, you have to be at least 18 years old to vote in the United States. If this change is made, it would remove the 26th Amendment, which set the voting age at 18, and replace it with a new amendment saying that people who are 16 or older cannot be denied the right to vote because of their age. This change would give Congress the power to make laws to ensure that this new amendment is followed. For this change to become part of the Constitution, it needs to be approved by the governments of at least three-fourths of all the states within seven years after it is proposed.