High schools across Northern Kentucky are using classroom instruction and projects, voter registration drives, and Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts to encourage students to cast ballots in the upcoming election on Nov. 5.
“Even as young people, we have a lot of different concerns about what is going on in our government,” said Cooper High School Senior J.D. Meyer, who along with fellow Senior Alison Beyer launched a voter registration drive as a class project at the Boone County school. “We can have a say in addressing those concerns by registering to vote and actually showing up to vote. Having the voter registration drive at our school will hopefully get more young people involved.”
The schools’ focus on educating their students about the importance of voting dovetails with Vote for NKY, a broader regional GOTV nonpartisan campaign spearhead by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, organizations, foundations, and civic-minded individuals, which seeks to stem the tide of dismal voter turnout in past elections in Northern Kentucky.
In the most recent primary in March of this year, turnout in Northern Kentucky was seven percent less than the rest of the state. In 2015, the last time a Kentucky gubernational race was held, the three counties in Northern Kentucky had a combined 26.7 percent voter turnout, which was substantially lower than the state’s other two large metropolitan areas — Jefferson County-Louisville at 34.1 percent (7.4 percent difference) and Fayette County-Lexington at 33.2 percent (a 6.5 percent difference).
Kristin Baldwin
“There is no better civics lesson than teaching students the importance and value of voting,” said Kristin Baldwin, the Northern Kentucky Chamber’s vice president of public affairs and communication. “A teenager that is encouraged to vote now has a much better chance of being a lifetime voter. We applaud the school districts, administrators, teachers and students for focusing on fulfilling one of the most sacred and treasured duties we have as American citizens — the right to vote.”
Kentucky law allows 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, although voters must be 18 to legally cast a vote.
Here are some examples of how schools in Northern Kentucky are encouraging students to vote:
• At Conner High School in Boone County, more than 100 seniors registered to vote through a voter registration drive spearheaded by its seniors, according to Principal Andy Wyckoff.
• Students can register to vote through a program in place at Boone County High School, said Principal Timothy Schlotman.
• At Calvary Christian School in Taylor Mill, Headmaster Bill Dickens said that all seniors take a U.S. government course and the 18-year-old students are encouraged to register and vote.
• At Dayton High School, every student who was 18 years old by Election Day has been registered to vote, said social studies teacher Brad Campbell, who personally engages the students and sends them to GoVoteKY.com to register to vote or to confirm that they have registered.
Cooper High School’s Steven Vockell, who teaches Advanced Placement Government & Politics, said voter registration drives and other efforts to encourage voting also teach students to learn more about the issues as well as how to rationally discuss politics.
“The kids in my class care a lot about what is going on in our government and they want to understand and be involved,” Vockell said. “We have great discussions and passionate debates. They are respectful of each other and we discuss all sides of what is going on in our government.”
Cooper Senior Alison Beyer said she was “shocked” by the low voter turnout in Boone County.
“We decided we could help change that by organizing a voter registration drive to help students register and let them know they have a voice in all that’s going on in our government both locally and nationally,” she said.
Vote for NKY and the Chamber are working together to improve voter turnout, wants to momentum from registering voters to getting people to the polls on election day, November 5.
The Chamber has published a 2019 Election Guide to provide voters with information about the candidates on the Nov. 5 statewide ballot.
On Election Day, voters will elect candidates for the state’s constitutional offices — Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Auditor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Commissioner of Agriculture.
The GOTV effort will continue into 2020, when the races for president, Congress, U.S. Senate, the Kentucky statehouse, and many local races will be decided.
Vote for NKY is a regional nonpartisan campaign spearhead by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, organizations, foundations, and civic-minded individuals seeking to increase voter registration and turnout in Northern Kentucky (Boone, Campbell and Kenton Counties). The organization does not endorse political candidates or causes but does work to educate Northern Kentucky residents about upcoming elections and candidates. To learn more about the campaign, visit VoteNKY.com.
