The people who wanted to standardize and lower (or reduce) the voting age to 18 had a popular slogan (or a phrase that many people repeat as a message about what they want to do or change).
想要规范和降低(或减少)选举年龄到18岁的人有个流行的口号(或许多人口中重复的一句他们想要去做或改变什么的话。)
It was, "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote."
它就是,“能打仗了,就能投票。”
They meant that since the nation had decided that 18-year-old men were old enough to be in the Army, it should also decide that they were old enough to vote.
他们的意思是既然国家决定18岁的男性就可以参军了,那么它也应该决定他们是可以投票的。
In 1971, the voting age was finally standardized and lowered.
1971年,投票年龄最终得到了规范和降低。
The 26th Constitutional Amendment (or change or addition to the Constitution, the most important legal document in the country) was ratified (or approved and made into a law) on July 7, 1971.
第26条宪法修正案于1971年7月7日(或对国家最重要的法律文件宪法进行变更或补充)获得批准或获得通过并成为法律。
It made the legal voting age 18 years old for the entire country.
它规定18岁为整个国家的合法投票年龄。
The Amendment had some unintended (or unexpected) consequences, which are things that happen as a result of doing something else.
该修正案产生了一些意想不到(或意外的)的结果,也即是由于做了其它事情,而导致这些事情的发生。
After lowering the voting age, most states began to lower the age for other things, such as getting married or making contracts (or legal agreements).
降低投票年龄之后,大多数州开始降低其它事情的年龄,例如结婚和签订合同(或法律协议)。
Today, most Americans believe that people become adults on their 18th birthday.
如今,大多数美国人都认为自己在十八岁生日这一天就成年了。