The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that a citizen who is 18 years of age older may not be denied the right to vote on account of age, and states:

Section 1.

The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.

Section 2.

The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

And the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that a person may not be denied the right to vote on account of sex, and states:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

In Vermont, as in all states across the United States, the right to vote is protected under federal constitutional amendments. The Twenty-sixth Amendment ensures that citizens who are 18 years of age or older cannot be denied the right to vote based on their age. This means that in Vermont, once a citizen reaches the age of 18, they are eligible to vote in all elections, provided they meet other state-specific voter registration requirements. Additionally, the Nineteenth Amendment guarantees that the right to vote cannot be denied or limited on the basis of sex. This amendment enfranchised women and made it unconstitutional for any state, including Vermont, to deny a citizen the right to vote because of their sex. Both amendments empower Congress to enact legislation to enforce these rights, and Vermont must comply with these constitutional provisions as well as any related federal laws that uphold the right to vote for all citizens regardless of age or sex.