Many people forget that young people rallied for and fought hard to lower the voting age to 18-years-old. On March 23, 1971, this demand became a reality; Congress proposed the 26th Amendment, which lowered the minimum voting age
to 18, and a majority of states ratified it soon after.

Today Rock the Vote, educators, politicians, and students commemorate the anniversary of the 26th Amendment with Democracy Day. Our annual Democracy Day celebration not only celebrates the passage of the 26th Amendment, but also recognizes Rock the Vote’s Democracy Class program.
Democracy Class is a 45-minute civics education lesson that teaches high school students about the history of voting rights, the power of their participation in our democracy, and how the voting process works. Using a celebrity-filled animated video, a mock election, and classroom discussion, the Democracy Class program has educated nearly a quarter of a million students on what is at stake and prepared them to engage in our political process. If you or an educator would like to sign up to bring Democracy Class to a local high school, then you can do so here.

Our annual Democracy Day celebration has included thousands of educators sharing Democracy Class with their students, our artist and celebrity ambassadors joining us in the classroom to talk about the importance of voting, and the registration of hundreds of thousands of new voters.

This year, we're bringing the celebration online with a Twitter campaign that thousands will join. On March 22nd, educators, students, celebrities, Secretaries of States, and Mayors will come together to tweet about Democracy
Day and celebrate young people winning the right to vote.

Join us in tweeting the following messages throughout the day using the hashtag #DemocracyDay!

• Celebrate #DemocracyDay w/ @Rockthevote & commemorate young people's right to vote & their voice in our democracy http://rtvote.com/i7TIcv

• Tell an educator to bring @Rockthevote’s Democracy Class & the power of voting to their students: http://rtvote.com/i7TIcv #DemocracyDay

• My favorite thing about Democracy Class is [insert response here]. See what the program is all about: http://rtvote.com/i7TIcv #DemocracyDay

Also, for a limited time, anyone who refers three colleagues to the program will receive a free Democracy Class kit including a poster, banner, buttons, t-shirts, and a "History of Voting Rights" DVD.

For our democracy to truly thrive, we need every young person in America to receive a civic education and a chance to register to vote as they turn 18. Let’s take the anniversary of the 26th amendment to recognize the importance of young
people’s participation in our democracy and to truly celebrate Democracy Day.