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THE INDEPENDENT AND IMPARTIAL STAT"iwIDE SIIRVEV}orpUBlICOPINID':'/
ESTABLISHED AND OPERATED BY FIELD RESEARCH rORAnON SINCE
San FranciSco Headquarters
145 Montgomery Street
San Francisco 94104
392-5766
/'
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Los Angeles Office
3142 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles 90005
385-5259
Mervin D. Field, Director
Robert Heyer, Editor
COPYRIGHT 1967 BY FIELD RESEARCH CORPORATION. FOR PUBLICATION BY SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Re Iease # 552
For release TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1967
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC TODAY DOES NOT
FAVOR LOWERING VOTING AGE
IMPORTANT: Contract for this service is subject to re­
vocation if publ ication or broadcast takes place before
release time or if contents of report are divulged to
-persons outside of subscriber staff prior to release time.
by Mervin D. Field
Despite recent statements by a number of state and federal government leaders in support of
lowering the legal voting age, a majority of Californians want to maintain 21 as the minimum age for
eli g ibiii ty .
A recent Cal ifornia Poll survey showed that 53% of the adul t publ ic prefer to keep the legal
voting age at 21. This sentiment is shared by people from all parts of the state and by all adults u regardless
of age.
California Poll interviewers asked a representative cross-section of 1004 California residents
of this state:
liAs you know, the present legal votFlgage in California is 21, but there has
been some talk about lowering the voting age. Do you think the legal voting
age should be lowered to 18?11 (IF NO OR DON'T KNOW): liDo you think
it should be lowered to 19?" (IF NO OR DONuT KNOW): Do you think it
should be lowered to 20?11
Keep voting age at 21
Should be 19 or 20
Should be 18
No opinion
53%
9
34
4
The Gall up Poll reported about 18 months ago that nationally 57% of the pub! Ie approved
of lowering the age limit to include 18-20 year olds. However, at about the same time the Texas Poll
found that residents of the lone Star State were opposed to lowering the voting age there by a wide
margin.
(MORE)
The California Poll was founded in 1946 as a medium tor promoting public opinion research. The California Poll is completely independent of all political !Jarties and candidates. Its sole purpose is to report
public opinion accurately and objectively. Fmancial support for the Poll comes from newspapers and television stations that have exclusive rights within the city of pUblication. The Poll utilizes accepted
scientific sampling and questioning procedures in obtaining the data reported in its releases. Representative samples of adulrs are mterviewed at pertildic intervals on election issues and other socially
important questions of the day. Proportionate numbers of people of both sexes. from all parts of the state, from different sized communities. and of all age. economic, political, and occupation groups are
included in the samples. Major surveys are made with samples of 1,000 or more respondents. Interim surveys sometimes are made with smaller sampli,s of not less than 600 interviews.
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The Cal ifornia Poll - ppge 2
Cal ifornia has the power to lower the voting age simply by enacting state legislation. At
the present time four states allow people under 21 to vote: in Georgia and Kentucky the legal voting
age is 18; in Alaska it is 19; and in Hawaii it is 20.
One strong argument expressed for lowering the voting age is the fact that within the past
25 years the nation Us youth starting at age 18 has been asked to bear arms in three wars. Those
supporting a lowering of the voting age argue that a man old enough to fight for his country is also old
enough to vote.
Typically, those opposed to changing the present legal voting age requirement are concerned
about maturity of judgment. They fee! that 18-20 year olds may not be mature enough to exercise the
right to vote responsibly.
The Cal ifornia publ icls attitude on this proposal at present is fairly uniform in respect to
section of state,and .age. RepUibHcans are more, inclined to approve lowering the voting age requirement
than are Democrats.
Keep voting
age at 21
Northern Cal ifornia
Southern California
53%
53
Republ icons
Democrats
59%
49
Age:
21
30
40
50
60
70
- 29 years
- 39 years
- 49 years
- 59 years
- 69 years
or older
52%
52
54
53
56
53
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COPYRIGHT 1967 BY FIELD RESEARCH CORPORATION. FOR PUBLICATION BY SUBSCRiBERS ONLY.