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� Greta Keffer 7th - Roseville Area Middle School Jeff Bibeau Honorable Mention Human Ric,�h�s Essav by Greta Keffer 4nly 36.4% of the eligible voters vafied on Election Day in 2014. That was the lowest turnout since 1944! The percent of voters has been dropping since 1964. That is more than 50 years ago! We need to vote more! Vating is impartant for many reasons, and 1 wi[I look at some of thase reasons and propose same solutions ta increase voter turnout. Voting is important. People thought voting was important enough fihat they fought hard to give everyone the righfi to vote. As a result, the U.S. Constitution has had a lot of amendments added to it about vofiing rights. Despite the amendmenfis giving more people the right to vote, over 60% af the population will nofi acfually vofie. The '15th Amendment fio the Consfiitution aflow�d any male over 21 the right to vote (1869). Men of any race can vote. Then in � 920, the 19fih Amendment gave women over 21 the right to vote as well. That means eithar gender can vQte. Later in 1960, the 23rd Amendment gave residents of Washington D.C. fihe right to vofe for represenfiatives in fihe Electoral Collega, Then in 1964, the Unified States ratified the 24th Amendmenfi to �he Consfiitution, prohibiting any pol( tax in elections for federal officials. Finally there was the 26th Amendmenfi in 1971, which lowered the voting age to 18. All adults can vote. Another reasan voting is important is fihat it is people's chance to have their voices heard, and so they have a say in what the government will look like. Voting is one of the most imporEant ways to connect with the governmenf. According to statistics,