AP Success - AP U.S. Gov & Pol: Concept Application: Federalism and Drinking Age

The adoption of the 26th Amendment in 1971 did more than lower the voting age to 18. One unintended consequence of the Amendment was that many state legislatures passed laws lowering the drinking age to 18. They reasoned that if someone could vote, they should also be allowed to drink alcohol. 

Drunk driving accidents increased significantly over the next few years, causing groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving to petition the federal government for a national drinking age law. However, such a law would violate the 21st Amendment’s statute that the states and not the federal government regulated alcohol sales.

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 told states they would lose 10% of their federal highway funding unless they raised their drinking age to 21. Although some states protested by filing lawsuits, the Supreme Court upheld the law in South Dakota v. Dole (1987).