Written by Jesse Brewer, Boone County Commissioner, District 3
Every election brings a new group of Americans into our democracy for the first time.
They are the young people who have recently turned 18. For the first time, they can register to vote, walk into a voting booth and have the same voice as every other voter in deciding who represents them and what direction their community takes.
But too many of them aren’t making it that far.
In Kentucky, only about 39% of eligible 18-year-olds are registered to vote. Among Kentuckians 45 and older, registration is above 90%.
Here in Northern Kentucky, the numbers aren’t much better.
In Boone County, about 46% of eligible 18-year-olds are registered. In Kenton County, it’s about 40%. In Campbell County, about 33%.
In Boone County alone, there are approximately 1,574 18-year-olds. That means hundreds of young adults in our community who are eligible to participate in our elections haven’t even registered.
And this isn’t a small group. Roughly 56,000 Kentuckians turn 18 every year. Every year, another generation gets its first opportunity to have a voice in how its community and state are governed.
We can do better. Not because I want to tell them how to vote. In fact, I don’t want to tell them how to vote at all. I want them to understand that they have a voice and that the decisions being made by government aren’t nearly as removed from their lives as they may think.
I am the Republican nominee for Boone County Commissioner in District 3, so my own name will be on the ballot this November. Of course, I hope voters support me. But I’d rather see a young person register, study the candidates and vote for someone else than never participate at all.
Because at 18, government starts becoming very real, very quickly.
Look at that first paycheck and see how much was taken out in taxes. Try to find an affordable apartment. Think about where the good jobs are and whether you can afford to live near them. Sit in traffic on the way to work or school. Drive on the roads every day. Think about whether your community has parks, ballfields, walking and biking trails, pickle ball courts or other recreation opportunities you want to use.
Those things aren’t abstract political debates in Washington. Many of them are decisions being made much closer to home.
They are made in Frankfort, in county courthouses, in city halls and in school board meetings.
Local officials make decisions about taxes and spending, roads and development, parks and recreation, public safety and the future growth of our communities. School boards make decisions that directly affect students, teachers and families. City councils and county governments decide how limited tax dollars are spent and which community priorities receive attention.
Those races don’t always get television commercials or national attention. But for an 18-year-old beginning adult life, some of those decisions may have a more immediate effect on everyday life than anything happening in Washington.
That’s why I think we need to do a better job of connecting voting to the things young people already care about.
Parents can talk about it at home. Schools can make sure students understand how registration and voting actually work. Community leaders can explain what the different levels of government do and, just as importantly, what they don’t do.
And we should do it without telling young people what they are supposed to believe.
Give them the information. Show them where decisions are made. Encourage them to ask questions, challenge us, read about the candidates and make up their own minds.
Voting is a habit. Someone who begins participating at 18 has the opportunity to carry that habit for the rest of his or her life. But if we don’t engage young people when they first become eligible, we shouldn’t be surprised when they remain disconnected later.
The registration deadline for this November’s election has already passed. So for some newly eligible voters, the opportunity to participate in this election may already have been missed.
That makes the conversation even more important for the next one.
Families, schools and community leaders shouldn’t wait until the week before an election to start talking about civic participation. When a young person approaches 18, registering to vote ought to be another milestone of becoming an adult.
Our young people aren’t just the future of Northern Kentucky and the Commonwealth. They’re already part of it.
They work here. They drive our roads. They pay taxes. They use our parks. They attend our schools and colleges. Before long, many will be looking for their first apartment or home, starting careers and raising families of their own.
The decisions we make today will help shape the community they inherit tomorrow.
Their voice should be part of those decisions.
But first, they have to use it.
