After months of planning and weeks of sending emails, it was finally here: our voter registration drive. In front of the cafeteria, our Y-Club, focused on civic engagement and community service, was sure to catch dozens of interested students. The first of its kind in years, this drive targeted not only seniors who were 18, a small minority in our school, but all students interested in learning about civics. Our little table and handmade posters were able to do more than just register a handful of eligible voters. In my view, the drive sparked students’ curiosity about the upcoming election and presented voting as an accessible opportunity.

As I listened to students discuss the issues they most cared about, from reproductive health to the economy, I understood the importance of empowering students to have an impact on these issues through civic engagement. To fully prepare students for civic participation beyond the classroom, our schools and communities must design equitable and engaging civics education for students and support our engagement in civic life.

As defined by Youth.gov, civic engagement is working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community. However, barriers to civic engagement for youth are apparent when looking at inequities in youth voter turnout rates. According to Tuft University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), youth turnout has been historically high in the past three elections, with Gen Z voting at higher rates than previous generations did in their first elections. In Kentucky, 55.7% of registered voters ages 17-24 voted in 2020, a 5.5-point increase from 2016.

As defined by Youth.gov, civic engagement is working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community. However, barriers to civic engagement for youth are apparent when looking at inequities in youth voter turnout rates. According to Tuft University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), youth turnout has been historically high in the past three elections, with Gen Z voting at higher rates than previous generations did in their first elections. In Kentucky, 55.7% of registered voters ages 17-24 voted in 2020, a 5.5-point increase from 2016. 

At the same time, national white youth turnout in 2022 was between 7 and 11 percentage points higher than AAPI, Black, and Latino youth, one of the highest gaps in recent decades. According to CIRCLE, these voting gaps demonstrate broader inequities in access to civic education and support to become informed voters.

In 2022, 50% of young people with bachelor’s degrees voted, compared to 20% of youth with only a high school diploma. This gap demonstrates the importance of K-12 education in preparing students for civic life, even if they do not plan to attend college. Currently, Kentucky requires students to pass a civics exam for graduation but does not require a dedicated civics course. This focus on memorization without emphasis on building critical thinking or problem-solving skills leaves a lot to be desired. Education is especially important as CIRCLE also found that only 40% of young people 18-29 feel well qualified to participate in politics. There is not an issue of apathy from young people in our country, but a failure to prepare and engage them so that our democracy is truly representative of our generation.

Students are speaking out‍

Some studies suggest that by 2028, Gen Z and Millenials will make up half the electorate. While these young voters have an immense stake in many issues that will continue to play out in their lifetime, such as economic inequality and worsening climate change, this November holds an even greater stake for Gen-Z Kentuckians. Amendment Two, which would change the state constitution and allow for public funds to be allocated outside public schools, could lead to detrimental impacts on the state of education for generations by opening the door for voucher programs that divert money out of public schools, which the majority of Kentucky students attend.

When I participated in the Kentucky Student Voice Team’s Amendment Two Myth-Bus Tour, I heard from students around the state about how Amendment Two would impact them. According to Anvika Vangala, a junior at DuPont Manual High School, the opportunities she has to learn about diverse cultures from people firsthand is something academics can’t necessarily teach, so, "knowing that Amendment Two could take resources away from schools like mine and disproportionately harm students of color is incredibly concerning.” Students have spoken out against this amendment because we know the relevance of our perspectives in conversations about the future of education, regardless of whether or not we will be able to vote. 

Beyond advocacy surrounding elections, students are also working to ensure their voices are heard in local decision-making processes. As of 2023, only 15 of Kentucky’s 171 school districts have student members. In Kentucky’s last General Assembly, Kentucky Student Voice Team students introduced legislation that would require every school board to have a non-voting student member. Including students on school boards is integral to building better school systems, as we are the primary stakeholders in education who can attest to the impact policy decisions will have. 

Peter Jefferson, a senior at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, can attest to this. As the Chair of the Kentucky Department of Education Commissioner's Student Advisory Council, he has seen firsthand the influence student voice can have. On this Council, students meet with Department of Education staff to discuss how decisions made at the state level impact students. He explained the difference even one voice can make, such as when Nicholas Hazelett, former KSVT member and now Senior Advisor, explained to staff how accountability standards implemented at the state level had unique implications for smaller counties with smaller class sizes. 

 Jefferson has also noticed the importance of this in his own school. When more students are included in the decision-making process for policies such as access to the restroom, decision-making is less stagnant. “There’s change; it’s dynamic because the perspectives and opinions of youth are dynamic,” he says.

Participation in civics is integral for young people, who are uniquely impacted by different political issues, yet are, “...Historically underrepresented in decision making, in everything from education to personal rights,” according to Jefferson. 

Beyond voting

When I hear my peers at school express that they are not planning to vote, I believe this is because they feel that their vote and voice do not matter. Nevertheless, young people should be encouraged to participate in civics, particularly in their local communities and government. While city council and school board meetings receive much less media attention than a presidential race, the decisions made at this level will arguably have the greatest impact on our day-to-day lives. 

Even so, finding ways to impact change on the local level can be difficult. Jefferson pointed out that, for minority students, convincing school administration to change a policy requires a great amount of energy that can be discouraging. “People get stuck in that, especially if you’re part of a group that is underrepresented, where you really don’t have a voice because there aren’t as many peers that are listening to you,” he says.

While the inability to vote may oftentimes feel like an insurmountable barrier to impacting our communities and government, there are still plenty of ways to engage in civics and impact change beyond voting. 

Some students volunteer, attend school board and city council meetings, participate in community organizations, follow local news and issues, and even just discuss the issues they care about with others when participating in civic life.

In my own civic journey, I realized the importance of civic engagement when I got involved with my local chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth (KFTC), a grassroots community organization that works to impact issues like climate change, economic inequality, structural racism, and more. 

Participating in monthly meetings to plan voter registration efforts, write postcards encouraging citizens to vote, and discuss current issues introduced me to intergenerational collaboration with people in my community who shared my passion for advocacy. With the help of my KFTC friends Becky and Amelia, I was finally able to find the confidence to hold a voter registration drive at my school.

This November 5th, my 18th birthday, I will be heading to the polls, along with millions of other Kentuckians, for the issues I care about and for my younger peers who cannot vote yet. However, their inability to vote should not mean their perspectives are any less relevant in conversations about their rights. Youth voices and our participation in civic life are integral to addressing existing inequities and truly building more democratic communities. 

As students, we should consistently demand better for ourselves, our peers, and our world. When we come together, along with the support of our older allies along the way, we build the capacity to make real change happen.