# 119-hjres-16: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older.

119-hjres-16, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (D-NY); status introduced (as of 2026-10-29).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hjres-16
- As of: 2026-10-29
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hjres-16
- Congress: 119
- Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States extending the right to vote to citizens sixteen years of age or older.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-29

## Summary

**Guaranteeing the right to vote at age 16** would add a constitutional protection so U.S. citizens who are 16 or older cannot be denied the vote because of age. The proposal also sets a submission and ratification framework requiring two-thirds approval in both chambers and ratification by three-fourths of the states within seven years. - Youth and families: 16- and 17-year-old citizens would gain a federal constitutional right to vote in elections. This secures voting eligibility for that age group. - States and election officials: The amendment would require states to allow voting at age 16 and would repeal Section 1 of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, so state laws and procedures for voter age would need to change. - Congress and enforcement: Congress would have explicit authority to pass laws to enforce the new age-based voting right.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Vote at 16 nationwide: benefit, high. If enacted, this would amend the Constitution to let citizens vote at age 16. Citizens 16 and older could not be denied the vote because of age. This would apply to federal and state elections after ratification. Congress could pass laws to enforce this right. It would repeal the current Twenty-Six…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights to protect and codify the rights of transgender…

## Sources
- [119-hjres-16 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-joint-resolution/16)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hres-1058: Recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implem…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-1058)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hjres-16 (as of 2026-10-29).