Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy is suggesting a fifth amendment regarding voting rights to the Constitution.
The 2024 hopeful is currently competing against 12 other GOP candidates for the party's nomination. Ramaswamy would like to change the pool of voters in the country by suggesting a higher voting age into a constitutional amendment. Currently, it is written that 18-year-old citizens have the right to vote, but Ramaswamy would like to see those younger than 25 pass a civics exam or serve the country for at least six months before earning the right to vote.
UP FOR DEBATE: WHERE TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND REST OF REPUBLICAN 2024 FIELD STAND ON KEY ISSUES
60% of Gen Z say they’d rather lose their right to vote than give up TikTok & only 16% say they’re proud to be American. The absence of national pride is a serious threat to our future — we need to teach kids to be proud of our country, not ashamed of it. pic.twitter.com/syx1PxQurC
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 11, 2023
"This is not a Republican idea or a Democrat idea," Ramaswamy explained to Jesse Watters on Fox News on Thursday night, "it is addressing a crisis of national pride in our country. Sixty percent of young Americans now say that they would sooner give up their right to vote than to give up their access to TikTok. This is a crisis."
The current civics exam given to immigrants seeking citizenship includes 100 questions about American government, politicians, and history. Recipients are given 10 random questions orally, and they must answer at least six correctly to pass.
"I want to revive citizenship. I want to revive civic duty," Ramaswamy said. "We ask immigrants to pass that test for a reason. That's a good thing. Every 18-year-old in this country should have to know the same thing that an immigrant does too. That will revive our civic spirit and is part of a broader nationalist vision."
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Among the questions is one that asks recipients to name at least two national holidays. One of the acceptable answers is Juneteenth, a holiday Ramaswamy referred to as "redundant" and suggested Election Day take its place in order to encourage a higher voter turnout.
Currently, the Constitution gives the right to vote to those who are at least 18 years old, no matter their gender or race, and prohibits any poll tax from being attached to elections.