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Summary Voting Age for Primary Elections

hand holding an "I Voted' sticker at outside of a polling place
Updated July 20, 2024
Related Topic: Elections

17-Year-Olds and Primary Elections

Although the federal voting age is 18, a third of the states allow those who are 17, but will be 18 by the general election, to vote in primaries. Although the federal voting age is 18, 20 states and Washington, D.C., allow those who are 17, but will be 18 by the general election, to vote in primaries. 

Some states may allow 17-year-olds to vote in presidential primaries or caucuses as well. These states are not included on this webpage.

For information on states that permit 16- and 17-year-olds to register to vote, see Preregistration for Young Voters.

This page is part of NCSL’s Toolkit for Primary Elections, which provides information on many different aspects of party nomination systems.

States That Allow Voting for People Younger Than 18
State Statute Enacted

Connecticut

Conn. Const. art. VI, § 11

2008

Delaware

Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 1701, 3110

1972

District of Columbia

D.C. Code Ann. § 1-1001.02

2009

Illinois

10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/3-6

2013

Indiana

Ind. Code §3-7-13-2 to -3

1995

Iowa

Iowa Code § 48A.5

2017

Kentucky

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 116.055

1974

Maine

Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, §111-A

2004

Maryland

Md. Code Ann., Elec. Law § 3-102

1972

Mississippi

Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-11

1997

Nebraska

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-110

1994

New Jersey

N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:4-1.2

2024

New Mexico

N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-4-2

2016

North Carolina

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-59

1992

Ohio

Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3503.011

1981

Rhode Island

R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-1-3

2023

South Carolina

S.C. Code Ann. § 7-5-180

1997

Utah

Utah Code Ann. § 20A-2-101

2018

Vermont

Vt. Const. ch. II, § 42

2010

Virginia

Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-403

1993

West Virginia

W. Va. Code § 3-2-2

1994

Related Resources

NCSL Election Resources

The NCSL elections team provides a variety of resources on election issues, including but not limited to 50-state surveys on state laws, legislation databases, a monthly elections newsletter, enactment summaries and other publications.
Elections

Early In-Person Voting

This page includes information on statutory requirements regarding in person early voting time periods compared across the 50 states.
Elections
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