The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution established that the voting age is 18 years old. This law enables a person to vote on which laws they have to live by. This is the true establishment of a person. If they have the ability to vote, then they have a voice in society and the ability to influence the laws that establish what a person can and cannot do. This law includes me, and I find that it is one of the most liberating laws because I can share my vote and have it matter. This law is also essential to society because it forces individuals to become informed as to what they are voting on and what is going on in the media in regards to politics at the local, state, and national levels. When an individual reaches the age of 18, they are legally allowed to fight, marry, vote, etc. This age is such a pivotal moment in the definition of a person. At this moment, they are given more responsibility and have the ability to impact the lives of other persons. At 18, adulthood is reached and the time where they are no longer bounded to a guardian, in turn a true person. 
This law relates closely to the premise of the movie, Iron Jawed Angels. The movies primary theme is the woman’s suffragist movement. This relates to the idea of age based laws when defining a person because when women did not have the right to vote it was as if they were not a complete person yet. They fought restlessly to achieve the status of a true person and have the same rights to that of their male counterparts of the same age. They were victorious in their fight, and now women of the age 18 can have the right that enables them to be considered a whole person.
These images highlight the want for a lowered voting age. Younger people want the ability to voice their opinions and be considered a whole person with a voting right.
The following video examines the debate over lowering the voting age. This video includes 16 year olds making claims as to why they should be able to vote.
Resources
1) "Constitution of the United States - Official." National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html>.
2)"Free Legal Information on Washington State Law." M.G. Gallagher Law Library. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://lib.law.washington.edu/ref/legalinfo.html>.—Vote Button
3)"File:NYRA Berkeley Voting Age Protest.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 09 Nov. 2010.<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NYRA_Berkeley_voting_age_protest.jpg>.—Kids Protesting
4) "Iron Jawed Angels (TV 2004) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338139/>
5)"YouTube - Lower Voting Age - Commercial 1 [NYRA]." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GsJHz1whoA>.—Video over lowering voting age
6) "Should the Voting Age Be Lowered? | Syracuse.com." Blogs on News, Sports, Entertainment and Life in Central New York - Syracuse.com. Web. 09 Nov. 2010. <http://blog.syracuse.com/voices/2008/10/should_the_voting_age_be_lower.html> --Voting Image
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