Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 84 Part 1.djvu/376

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PUBLIC LAW 91-285-JUNE 22, 1970

[84 STAT.

SEPARABILITY

"SEC. 205. If any provision of this Act or the application of any provision thereof to any person or circumstance is judicially determined to be invalid, the remainder of this Act or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such determination. "TITLE III—REDUCING VOTING AGE TO E I G H T E E N IN FEDERAL, S T A T E, A N D LOCAL ELECTIONS 'DECLARATION AND FINDINGS

u s e prec. title 1. Denial of right to vote, prohibition.

"SEC. 301. (a) The Congress finds and declares that the imposition and application of the requirement that a citizen be twenty-one years of age as a precondition to voting in any primary or in any election— "(1) denies and abridges the inherent constitutional rights of citizens eighteen years of age but not yet twenty-one years of age to vote—a particularly unfair treatment of such citizens in view of the national defense responsibilities imposed upon such citizens; "(2) has the effect of denying to citizens eighteen years of age but not yet twenty-one years of age the due process and equal protection of the laws that ^ are guaranteed to them under the fourteenth amendment of the Constitution; and "(3) does not bear a reasonable relationship to any compelling State interest. "(b) In order to secure the constitutional rights set forth in subsection (a), the Congi^ess declares that it is necessary to prohibit the denial of the right to vote to citizens of the United States eighteen years of age or over. "PROHIBITION

"SEC. 302. Except as required by the Constitution, no citizen of the United States who is otherwise qualified to vote in any State or political subdivision in any primary or in any election shall be denied the right to vote in any such primary or election on account of age if such citizen is eighteen years of age or older. a ENFORCEMENT

Jurisdiction.

62 Stat. 968.

Penalty.

"SEC. 303. (a)(1) I n the exercise of the powers of the Congress under the necessary and proper clause of section 8, article I of the Constitution, and section 5 of the fourteenth amendment of the Constitution, the Attorney General is authorized and directed to institute in the name of the United States such actions against States or political subdivisions, including actions for injunctive relief, as he may determine to be necessary to implement the purposes of this title. "(2) The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction of proceedings instituted pursuant to this title, which shall be heard and determined by a court of three judges in accordance with the provisions of section 2284 of title 28 of the United States Code, and any appeal shall lie to the Supreme Court. I t shall be the duty of the judges designated to hear the case to assign the case for hearing and determination thereof, and to cause the case to be in every way expedited. "(b) Whoever shall deny or attempt to deny any person of any right secured by this title shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. » ' - '"•>«^-- - t

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