Curious how here voted for the first time in 1971 at 18, 19, or or 20..

[Texaswitchy]

Just thinking back how proud I was to get my voters registration card and vote.

I got to vote the day after my birthday.

I was was pre-registered.

Just curious.

There had to be a lot of us.

[MineralMan]

1. I voted for the first time in 1966 - the first election after I turned 21.

At that time, you had to be 21 years old to vote. Since then, I have voted in every election, including odd year elections.

[Texaswitchy]

2. You guys had to wait.

1966 was a big year.

One of my brothers was in Vietnam.

[MineralMan]

14. I was in the USAF. But not in Vietnam.

I had to vote absentee.

[Texaswitchy]

17. My Mother was mess the year.

Waiting.

[patricia92243]

3. Married at 17 - could not vote until I was 21 - 4 years of taxation without representation.

[Texaswitchy]

5. Yes.

18 is a good year to start voting.

[Thunderbeast]

4. At age 20, I voted for George McGovern

[Texaswitchy]

6. My first Presidential Election.

I was also a Precinct Judge.

I the ran the election.


My parents were Precinct Judges.

I was emergency judge.
.

[electric_blue68]

37. 👍

[Texaswitchy]

43. I was 19.

I knew what to do.

Each precinct needs both judges.

Had to drive the the edge of Harris County.

[ProfessorGAC]

28. I Was Also 20, But It Was Carter

Last edited Wed Nov 16, 2022, 07:41 PM - Edit history (1)

I could vote for Stephenson III for Senate in '74. But, that was before they moved the governor's race to the off year.
I don't remember any of the other races, other than the rep was a dem that my dad knew personally.
'76 was my first potus election.

[moonscape]

7. McGovern in 1972 at 22 yo

[tblue37]

8. Me.

[Trailrider1951]

9. I voted for the first time in 1972

Prior to 1972, you had to be 21 to vote where I lived. In 1972 they changed the voting age to 18, so I could vote at age 20. I would have been 21 about 3 weeks after the election. Of course, I voted for McGovern for president, and Democrats all the way down the ballot.

[Texaswitchy]

11. Me to.

I grew up working elections with my parents who were democratic precinct judges.

Being able to vote at 18 was fantastic.

Never took it granted.

My Grandmothers were the first women in their families to be able to vote at 21.

Not ancient history.

[doc03]

12. I turned 21 in the Army in 1969 in Germany I know

I didn't vote that year. I am not sure how I voted until 1979 when I voted for RR, I always remember that was a big mistake. I have always voted for Democrats ever since. I would have voted for John McCain but Sarah Palin prevented that.

[Emile]

13. I voted the first time in 1972 Barcelona, Spain.

Overseas military.

[The Third Doctor]

15. 1992 presidential election. 18

I voted for Bill Clinton

[PufPuf23]

16. First vote age 19 in 1972, voted for McGovern

Have voted straight Democratic in every election ever since with one exception, voted for John Anderson in the 1980 CA POTUS primary to slow Reagan.

[brer cat]

18. And a related question: How many voted when they turned 18 before 1971?

I did in Georgia. Any other states?

[hunter]

19. The first President I voted for was Jimmy Carter.

.

[Amishman]

20. That would be roughly my parents age

I'm young by DU standards - but still going gray

[ananda]

21. My first vote was in 1970, but 1972 was memorable.

1972 was my first vote for president, for George
McGovern; and a vote for Barbara Jordan in her
first run for Congress.

That was so great!

[electric_blue68]

39. Barbara Jordan? Very cool!

[FakeNoose]

22. I turned 21 in 1972, so that was my first time to vote

... AGAINST Nixon of course.

I can't remember for sure but I probably voted straight Dem.

[Texaswitchy]

23. In my group we had a four generations voting.

This was the first election for the 18 year old.

She got to vote with her 91 year old Great Grandma.

To bad we didn't get a new Governor.

[Afrocat]

25. I misread the post and posted a reply that I didnt even manage to post in the right spot.....

Then I realized this thread wasn't for me as I hadn't arrived quite yet I will ask what was the atmosphere with your peers at the time. Were they eager to vote or even care about politics? The folks in my circle of friends at the time could care less about voting and even less so about politics. The general consensus was that politicians were all the same so why bother. I think it was partially because we became self-aware during the 90's while things were looking up. The kids I know that are getting towards voting age all seem to know far more than my generation did politically and who to blame. This last election is the canary in the political coal mine. The Republicans are on their last legs nationally.

[Texaswitchy]

26. The Vietnam War was going on.

The Women's Rights Movement was coming along.

It was a active time period.

All my friends were registered to vote.

It was different time .

Abortion rights were a big deal.

[GoodRaisin]

27. My first vote was in '72 at age 20 (McGovern)

I was a liberal out of the gate. My dad was a democrat and my mom was a republican.

[DFW]

29. My first vote was in 1971 as well, and I proudly voted Republican. Would do the same today.

It was the 1971 election for Mayor of Philadelphia, PA. The Democrats cynically nominated the oafish, sadistic and thoroughly corrupt police commissioner, Frank Rizzo. He used to gleefully send his thug cops to beat Vietnam War protesters with their billy clubs. I couldn't believe it. Rizzo proudly proclaimed that he was "Nixon's friend," and the Philly Democrats STILL nominated him!

The Republicans nominated a mild-mannered, soft-spoken (though elegantly, as opposed to Rizzo) bureaucrat, Thatcher Longstreth. He was put up by the Republicans as a sacrificial lamb, since everyone knew the election outcome was a foregone conclusion. But Longstreth was a decent guy, and Rizzo made most film Mafiosi seen like Ivy League professors by comparison.

That was my one and only time voting for a Republican. But, if put before a choice like that, I would vote the same way now. Without hesitation. I am a Democrat. I am not a robot.

To confirm my choice, soon after the election, Rizzo switched to the Republicans, did indeed pal around with Nixon (probably to Nixon's great discomfort), and was soon hounded out of office after being unable to explain how he could afford to start building a new mansion costing ten times his salary.

[DemForLife]

30. Voting

I turned 18 in April of 1978. The Board of Elections came to the cafeteria and registered the 18 year olds at the time. I have been voting ever since. Just for the record, when I got married it did not turn me into a "Republican". As I aged, I didn't get more conservative as I got older. Fox likes to peddle this BS on a major scale. We need to slap them down at every opportunity.

[Texaswitchy]

31. We had the League of Women Voters.

They came to school

I was already registered.

[Texaswitchy]

33. Yes.

Exactly.

If anything I got more liberal.

[scarletlib]

34. 1972 for McGovern. 23 years old.

[Hekate]

35. I turned 21 in Sept 1968, but missed being able to vote for Humphrey because I moved in August

… to another state’s university. That was so disappointing — I had worked hard for Gene McCarthy all year, went thru the gut-wrenching assassination of Bobby Kennedy on top of McCarthy losing the primary that same night.

But I made sure that I never missed an election after that.

[electric_blue68]

36. I was thrilled in '71 to vote at 18 yrs old! Only disappointed that it was an Off year...

Previously ('68, '69, '70) with voting at age 21- I volunteered for Hunphrey, then the only two Liberal Republicans: Mayor John V Lindsay's re-election, and then Charles Goodell for for the Senate bc Dem Sen Javits had gotten too socially conservative that ever


Then I was so devastated w McG's lost in '72 that I gave up volunteering for candidates, but concentrated on various single issues till Bill Clinton ran.
BUT I never stopped voting almost all Primaries, missed one local General election ( not Presidential) all these years. No Republicans from '72 onward.

[Texaswitchy]

40. I had a city election the day after my birthday.

Pre-registered.

Never missed an election.

The city and the county elections are important also.

[electric_blue68]

42. In NYC each Burrough is a County!

[Captain Zero]

38. George McGovern got my vote. 1972.

Primaries and the General.

[Greybnk48]

41. I was able to vote at 19 in 1968 for Hubert Humphrey

and was crushed when that wonderful man lost to Richard Nixon.

I was living in Alaska then.

[Texaswitchy]

45. That is cool.

Alaska was ahead of it's time.

[iemanja]

46. 1980 for me.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

47. No. I was too young. Although I'd already volunteered on my first presidential campaign.

However, I remember the moment I heard the news that 18 year olds were getting the vote. I was in a weird discount store called '"Fedco" that was popular for a brief time here in California when I heard the news.

I remember being very excited. I could not wait to vote.

But it would be 5 more years.