Kids Voting Hawaiʻi boosts youth voter turnout
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Students with Kids Voting Hawaiʻi (KVH) are working to increase civic engagement among young people in a state with historically low voter turnout.
The group, an affiliate of Kids Voting USA, began in 1996 and has grown to include hundreds of schools across Hawaiʻi. KVH organizes mock elections where students register, research candidates, and vote, providing them with experience and a sense of impact.
In 2024, over 345,000 students participated in Kids Voting USA elections nationwide, and KVH held a student-run election with roughly 35,000 voters, nearly 20% of all students in Hawaiʻi. This effort resulted in Hawaiʻi achieving the highest youth voter turnout percentage within the Kids Voting USA network. Currently, a student leadership committee is preparing for the 2026 midterm elections, coordinating with schools, running publicity campaigns, and developing relevant ballot questions focused on issues affecting young people.
They also interview candidates for state and federal office, sharing the information with students. The students involved say that participation in KVH helped them overcome feelings of apathy and understand the power of individual votes to influence outcomes.
