Show I Year Olds Voted in Utah Years Ago By LINNIE M. M FINDLAY This Is the year of the 18 old year vote Maybe you re remember remember remember reo re- re o member before the primary elections In September there thereas Was Vas some comment In the news- news pa JP ers s and on the radio and TV about this being the first year that at year olds had been able to vote vote In the United States Maybe they didn't consider Utah a pa part of the United States j in 1851 51 because it had Just Justn been n admitted as a territory but it was Interesting to find the following entry in W. W Hers H. H Levers Lever's ers er's History of Sanpete and Emery Counties published publish publish- ed ea h In 1898 under the date of April 1851 Manti Mantl the first city cy election was held and all Y free white male maie inhabitants of w the age of 18 years' years were Permitted to vote Checking in the World Book Encyclopedia Georgia and Kentucky Kentucky Ken Ken- tucky were the first states to lower the voting age to 18 while Alaska permitted their people to vote at 19 and Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Ha Ha- at 20 It didn't say what year those citizens first voted at 18 or if the age was ever generally 21 throughout the en entire entire entire en- en tire United States but there were some other things In the books that might be Interesting Probably everybody knows mows about the Amendment and from its ratification until now it has been Illegal to restrict voting rights because of sex toas to toas toas referred generally That is as Women's Suffrage but It seems that In many states women were allowed to vote prior to that time In 1868 Wyoming was admitted ad admitted admitted ad- ad territory and in as a granted ranted their women 1869 they the right ri ht to vote The story goes that when Wyoming was being considered for admission to the Union of States in 1890 some members of congress ob objected ob to what they called their Petticoat t Politics It seems the legislators from Wyoming held would fast and said that they stay out of the union for a rather than to hundred years disfranchise their women The books dont don't say much about how early women voted note in in Utah but there is a the Levers Lever's history that gives date of December 1887 and said Tucker Edmunds Act that the disfranchised the of this year women and created the right must have there so of dower for been some women to vote before then There is a book by a couple by the of college professors names of Burns and called Government By The published in 1960 by People Prentice-Hall Prentice in New Jersey that states that As early as 1838 Kentucky allowed widows and unmarried women to vote in school elections provided they held property taxable for school purposes Some other facts mi might ht be interesting since this is an election year For Instance did you know that the very first voting machine was Invented way back In 1868 by Thomas Thoma A. A Edison That one was designed designed de designed de- de signed to reduce the time needed needed needed need need- ed for a roll-call roll vote of the legislators The first voting machine used in an actual election was in Lockport New York in 1892 That That's s 80 years ago Most of the voting in the United States is done now with a voting ma ma- chine However in 1963 the United States was said to bethe be bethe bethe the only country now conducting conducting conduct conduct- ing elections by machine although al although although al- al though other countries have expressed expressed expressed ex ex- ex- ex pressed Interest In their use and are engaged in research It seems that it wasn't until 1948 that the laws made It possible for all of Americas America's first citizens to vote It is Just since then that the American Indian has been guaranteed the right to vote in all states Congress did not set a uniform uniform uni us- form date for national elections elections elections elec elec- until 1845 when it was designated as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in No No- vember It might be a surprise to learn that in most states and andall andall andall all territories according to World Book Election Day Is a legal holiday and that most states forbid the retail sale of liquor while the polls are open Maybe you already knew all this but perhaps the most important im im- im important thing to all of us right now is that there will soon be another Important national election Maybe we all ought to let our vote be counted |