The Fourth Circuit Just Took Away Grandpa's Voting Perk
South Carolina lets anyone 65 or older mail in a ballot for any reason at all. Everyone younger needed an excuse: a disability, a job that keeps you out of the county, a stint in the county jail. On Aug. 18, the Fourth Circuit said that scheme violates the 26th Amendment. Not because mail voting is some newfound constitutional right. Because a state that hands out a voting convenience can’t ration it by birth year.
TL;DR
- South Carolina allowed voters 65 and older to vote by mail without an excuse.
- Voters under 65 needed specific excuses, such as disability or military service, to vote by mail.
- The Fourth Circuit ruled this age-based distinction violates the 26th Amendment.
- The court stated that a state cannot limit voting conveniences based on age.
- The case, Grant v. Belangia, is a significant application of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18.