Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Barbara Greenspun remembers 1968: Uphill battle was worth the effort

How well I remember the day my daughter, Janie, decided to follow her convictions and register to vote. She was 18 at the time. Of course, the registrar of voters refused her request because she was under the legal voting age of 21.

With attorney Ralph Denton at her side, Janie went to court to sue for her right to vote. Ralph and Janie were joined by California attorney and law professor William Treadwell. They took their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

By the time the case was adjudicated Janie was 21. The late Sen. Alan Bible of Nevada introduced legislation in the Senate to set the voting age for the nation at 18. It passed Congress and was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

It had been a long uphill battle for Janie, but it was well worth the effort. Many believe her long court battle was the catalyst for 18-year-olds getting the right to vote.

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