Show t Year Olds Voted in Utah Years Ago r r By LINNIE M. M FIN FINDLAY Y or r This Is the year of ot the 18 old Yea vote Ma Maybe you remember re remember re- re member before the primary elections ele in September ber there I W Vias as some comment in the n news news- Pipers Ders s and on the radio and TV Ty about this being the first year ft that I 18 year olds Y ea r olds had been able to vote in n the United States U Maybe the they ey Y didn't t consider fah fOr or in n a part Dart o of t the United States 1851 because It had been just admitted as a territory but it was w Was as interesting to find the following folio wing entry in W. W H H. H Levers Lever's s I History sory of ot Sanpete tan lw hand St Emery Ty Counties n Jed ed i in 1898 publish publish- under the e date of J Dri I 1 1851 I M Mantl Manti anti the the first 1 it city election was held and all Lb j. j tree white male inhabitant tan Of Lb the age of 18 years years' were i permUted to vote Checking in the World Book Encyclopedia Georgia and Kentucky 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 en- en tire Ure United States but there were some other things in the books that might be Interesting Probably everybody knows about the Amendment and from its ratification until now it has been illegal to restrict voting rights because of sex That is generally referred toas to toas toas as Women's Suffrage but It t seems that in many states women were allowed to vote prior to that time In 1868 Wyoming was admitted ad admitted admitted ad- ad as a territory and In 1869 they granted their women the right to vote The Tho story goes that when Wyoming was being considered for tor admission to the Union of States In n 1890 some members of congress objected ob objected objected ob- ob to what they called their Petticoat Politics It seems the legislators from Wyoming held fast and said that they would stay out of the union for a hundred years rather than to disfranchise their women The books dont don't say much about how early women voted in Utah but there Is a note In the Levers Lever's history that gives date of December 1887 and said that the Tucker Edmunds Act disfranchised the of this year women and created the right of dower so there must have for been some women to vote before then There Is a book by a couple of college professors by the names of Burns and called Government By The published In 1960 by People Prentice-Hall Prentice In New Jersey that tha states that As early as 1838 Kentucky allowed widows and unmarried women to vote in n school elections provided they held property taxable for school purposes Some other facts might 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 A. A Edison That one was designed de designed designed de- de signed to reduce the time needed needed needed need need- ed for tor a roll-call roll vote of the legislators The first voting machine used in an actual election was In n Lockport New York In 1892 That'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 conducting conduct conduct- ing elections by machine although although al 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 II It possible for all of Americas America's first citizens to vote It is just since then that that the American Indian has been b en guaranteed the right to vote in all states Congress did not set a uni uniform Wim uniform uni- uni form date for national elec elec- elections Lions until 1845 when it was designated as the first Tuesday after the first Monday In No No- vember It might It might be a n surprise tc to learn that in most st states tes ant anc antall and andall all territories according tc to World Book Election Day Is c a a legal holiday and that most states forbid the retail sale of liquor while the polls are arc open Maybe you already knew all aU this but perhaps the most Important important Im im- thing to all of us right now is that there will soon be another Important national election Maybe we all ought ough ought to let our vote be counted |