The Twenty-Sixth Amendment set the voting age at 18, but registering to vote and being old enough to vote are two different steps. Most states allow some form of registration or preregistration before an eighteenth birthday, so that the registration is already in place and activates when the person becomes eligible. The age at which you can do this varies — 16 and 17 are the most common — and a few states allow it at any age.
How preregistration works
Preregistration means completing the registration process before you are old enough to vote. The application is held and the registration becomes active automatically once you turn 18, without you needing to do anything else. It does not let anyone vote early, and it does not affect anything other than being on the roll.
Many states also process registrations through a driver's licence or state ID transaction, which is why a lot of people are registered without remembering having done it separately. If you got a licence or permit at 16, it is worth checking whether a registration or preregistration went with it.
Some elections are open before 18 in some places
A number of states allow a 17-year-old who will turn 18 by the general election to vote in that year's primary, on the reasoning that the primary is a step toward the election they will be eligible to vote in. A smaller number of local jurisdictions have lowered the voting age for certain municipal or school board elections.
Both are state and local matters and vary considerably, so this is another case where the answer depends on where you live. A state election office website is the reliable source, and it will also list what identification is required.
Where to go, and what else you can do meanwhile
The official route is your state or local election office, and vote.gov links to every state's registration information, including the age rules. Use an official state site rather than a third-party service — some sites that look like registration portals are collecting information for other purposes, and the official process is free.
Meanwhile, plenty of civic participation does not require being registered at all: public comment at a school board or city council meeting, records requests, petitions, and youth commissions are covered in our other civic articles, and none of them have an age requirement.
Remember this
- Most states allow registration or preregistration before 18, commonly at 16 or 17, with the registration activating automatically.
- Registration often happens through a driver's licence transaction — check whether yours already did.
- Some states let a 17-year-old who turns 18 by the general election vote in that year's primary.
- Use vote.gov or your official state election office, not a third-party lookalike site.
Sources
This article provides general educational information, not individualized legal advice. KidsKnowRights is not a law firm, and reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by state, age, and circumstances, and they change over time. For advice about a real situation, talk with a licensed attorney or a legal aid organization.