How youth-focused campaigns are gathering young voters in Kentucky
This story is published in partnership with the Queer News Network, a collaboration among 11 LGBTQ+ newsrooms to cover down ballot elections across 10 states. Read more about us here.
by Jonathan Calixto
Many Gen Z voters are casting their ballots for the first time this year nationwide, with 40 million of them of eligible voting age. But where other states have seen a swell of Democratic support amongst young voters, Kentucky is an odd-one-out, with political party preference nearly cut in the middle among younger voters.
According to the Pew Research Center, in Kentucky, there is a 2% difference between Democrats and Republicans between the ages of 18 and 29. When considering all eligible voters, Republicans in the young voter category make up 21%, while Democrats are at 23%.
That political divide is giving both Democrats and Republicans something to bank on with shoring up young voters in the upcoming election, who appear to be excited to vote: “Older generations don’t understand just how long we’ve been alive, engaged and active in our communities,” said Emma Curtis, 28, a Gen Z nonpartisan candidate for Lexington’s 4th Council District.
With more young voters expected to head to polling sites, two Gen Z candidates are re-strategizing how they engage with voters who are in their same age bracket.
Curtis continues to use traditional canvassing but is not opposed to trying a new approach.
“Especially younger folks don’t want to answer their door because a stranger is there to talk to them about politics, but they are a lot more willing to hop on reddit and ask a local candidate a question,” Curtis said.
Her reddit thread on the topic received over 200 comments and 495 engagements over the past two weeks.
Curtis has also connected with young voters by discussing Palestine, a topic other candidates have shied away from.
“It is something that Gen Z voters are very passionate about and something that we could be meeting them where they are at,” Curtis said.
Earlier this year, a 53-year-old man in Lexington threatened a Palestinian-American with a loaded gun, according to court documents. In October, the man was found not guilty of a hate crime.
As a response to the incident, Curtis said she “can’t imagine something like that going unaddressed.”
But the biggest challenge has been trying to understand what is important besides single-issue problems, said Ian VanSteenbergh, 20, a nonpartisan candidate for Midway City Council.
Midway city, located in Woodford County, has a population of 1,718 residents according to the 2020 census. VanSteenbergh says in-person interaction has been vital during his campaign, including attending community events and meeting people at their doorsteps.
“For far too long, young and LGBTQ+ people have been left out of the discussion and have had people speak for us. It’s time for that to change and for us to be at the table,” VanSteenbergh said.
VanSteenbergh believes issues like an abortion amendment and a public education amendment are what is driving young voters to the polls this election season.
“I also have been pushing on my social media for young people to go out and vote, no matter who it is for,” said VanSteenbergh. “I don’t want to be a postcard politician, I want to be accessible, transparent and represent my constituents.”
Young Republicans in Kentucky are also making an effort to have their voices heard this election season.
Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for far-right conservative politics inside schools, has more than 10 chapters in Kentucky. The organization’s leader, Charlie Kirk, promotes racist and homophobic rhetoric at his events often, and aligns with Christina nationalists.
Some of Turning Point USA’s recent events on college campuses in Kentucky include signing students up to vote and in-person events with politicians. One of those included a conversation with Congressman Thomas Massie, representing Kentucky’s 4th congressional district, shared by the group on Instagram.
Massie has voted against protecting same-sex marriage, voted for the “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” which limited transgender girls to play in youth sports, and also voted against a bill that would’ve allowed for collecting data on LGBTQ+ people on federal surveys.
The Kentucky Young Republican Federation, which has over 2,000 followers on Facebook, has been engaging young voters at debate watch parties and “election deployment” sessions, helping canvass for candidates Chris McDaniel, Steven Doan and TJ Roberts.
Earlier this year speaking with Spectrum News 1, Emily White, the national committeewoman for the Kentucky Young Republican Federation, said, “the outcome of this election is very important to young Americans all across the country.”=
White added that the current state of the nation is making it hard for young voters to think about a liveable future, forcing them to participate more than ever in the election: “It’s hard to plan to have kids when the cost of childcare is what it is. It’s hard to buy a house when interest rates are what they are.”
The Kentucky Young Republican Federation did not respond to a request for comment.
