In 1943, Georgia’s constitution was amended to lower the voting age to eighteen, making it the first—and for twelve years, the only—state in the Union to establish a voting-age requirement below twenty-one. Despite being widely considered at the time by several national and state political actors, Georgia’s reform represents an important and unappreciated historical puzzle. First, few would regard mid-twentieth-century Georgia as being even modestly progressive, especially regarding voting rights. Second, there is no evidence that an organized group lobbied for the reform. Further, there is no reason why lowering the voting age was inherently unique to Georgia qua Georgia. Instead, this study offers a detailed historical analysis highlighting the dedication of its young governor, and argues that Ellis Arnall’s political entrepreneurialism coupled with growing intraparty factionalism in Georgian politics and strategic timing facilitated this rare instance of electoral progressivism in the Deep South.

中文翻译：

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为什么选择格鲁吉亚？一位在美国获得青年早期公民权的路上好奇而又不为人知的先驱

1943 年，乔治亚州的宪法被修改为将投票年龄降低到 18 岁，使其成为联盟中第一个（也是 12 年来唯一一个）规定投票年龄低于 21 岁的州。尽管当时被多个国家和州的政治参与者广泛考虑，但格鲁吉亚的改革代表了一个重要且未被重视的历史难题。首先，很少有人会认为 20 世纪中叶的格鲁吉亚甚至是适度进步的，尤其是在投票权方面。其次，没有证据表明有组织的团体游说改革。此外，没有理由降低投票年龄对于作为乔治亚州的乔治亚州来说是独一无二的。相反，这项研究提供了详细的历史分析，突出了其年轻州长的奉献精神，