States Eye Young Voters

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson spoke at a young voters event at the University of Kentucky.

“This is a very interesting election—a very important election,” University of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd said at a special roundtable held at the UK campus to engage younger voters.

The roundtable is just one example of activities held in the states—involving state officials—in an effort to kickstart young voter participation.

In North Carolina, viewed as a battleground state, big urban counties have seen heavy voter registration—specifically among young voters and African-Americans, according to the Burlington Times-News. With the help of newly registered young voters, the state’s voter rolls have swollen by more than 600,000 this year to a record 6 million, the newspaper reports.

“Voter registration has eclipsed all records, no doubt about it,” State Elections Director Gary Bartlett told the Burlington Times-News.

“This world is changing quickly,” Todd said at his university’s campus this fall, and that’s all the more reason to get young voters involved.

And he’s taken his own advice to weigh in and vote. The first time Todd voted was the Johnson/Goldwater race—and he hasn’t missed an opportunity since, he said at the young voters event.

Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson echoed those kinds of ideals at the event. This year, young voters are so important, he said, “voting matters.”

An 18-year-old at the event who would soon vote for the first time wanted to know the most important characteristics to look for when voting for a president. Leadership is just one thing to look for, Grayson said. “In this election for example, there’s a pretty clear difference for the candidates on the issues.”

Young voters can also consider how the candidates conduct themselves during the campaign, he said. Because, “that helps to build your opinion of that person,” Grayson said.