Read the summary of the Oregon v. Mitchell Supreme Court case.In 1970, Congress passed amendments to the Voting Rights Act. One of the changes was to lower the voting age to 18 in all federal, state, and local elections. The state of Oregon filed a lawsuit claiming that this was unconstitutional, since establishing voting laws is a reserved power of the states. The Supreme Court agreed that Congress had overstepped its authority by lowering the voting age in state and local elections. As a result of the ruling, states had to allow young people between the ages of 18 and 20 to vote in federal elections but could block them from voting in state and local elections. Congress responded by proposing the 26th Amendment, which made it illegal for states to deny citizens 18 and older the right to vote on account of age.
Answer
A
It extends a federal protection to the state level.
B
It prevents the states from running state and local elections.
C
It requires young people to vote in elections at every level.
D
It prevents states from passing any new election laws.
Explanation
The ruling allowed states to set the voting age for state and local elections, even though 18- to 20-year-olds could vote in federal elections. The 26th Amendment then prohibited states from denying citizens age 18 or older the right to vote because of their age. This extended a federal protection to state elections, so A is correct; it did not prevent states from running elections or passing other election laws.
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