The slogan “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote” was born during the Second World War when the draft age was lowered from 21 to 18. At the time the national voting age was 21. Some states passed laws to lower the age for local elections and President Eisenhower supported the idea of lowering the voting age in his 1954 State of the Union address. The movement gained renewed energy in the late 1960s as disillusionment grew with the Vietnam War and a draft lottery for service began in 1969. After quick passage through the Senate, House, and states, Richard Nixon signed the 26th Amendment into law on July 5, 1971. The amendment granted “The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote.” This button belonged to a Seattleite who graduated from Rainier Beach High School that same year, making him one of the 18-year-olds who were directly impacted by the new amendment.