One of the most powerful ways to keep elected officials accountable for the well-being of children is to elect representatives who make young people their priority. Because children can’t vote, it is all the more important that we, adults, vote for leaders who understand and prioritize their needs. Once elected, we ought to hold those leaders accountable to make decisions that enable young people to reach their full potential as adults.
The Youth Vote
Ballot Measures to Support Children
Educating Candidates
Legislator/Legislation Scorecards
Political Activities
The Youth Vote
When youth exercise their right to vote, they make their voices heard and help elect leaders who pay attention to their needs and circumstances. Voting is essential for youth to impact issues that affect them and their communities.
- Election 2022: Vote Kids, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, provides resources and tools for young voters and their parents.
- UNICEF’s Action Center provides voter registration as well as information about the candidates.
- The Andrew Goodman Foundation, which encourages young people to become active, engaged citizens, offers voter and civic engagement resources.
- Youth Voting Rights includes other youth voting resources.
Ballot Measures to Support Children
A number of states and localities are using elections to generate needed new resources for children and youth.
Here is a list of places where residents will vote in November 2022 on measures to fund vital kids’ services.
Educating Candidates
To ensure leaders who understand and address the issues that impact children and youth are elected, it is critical to 1) educate candidates and voters on these issues, 2) find out where candidates stand on the issues, and 3) hold candidates accountable to the priorities of your community’s children and youth.
The following resources aim to educate candidates and voters about children’s issues.
- Think Babies Voter Guides
- Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
- Campaign 4 Kids (Colorado Children’s Campaign) 2022 Election Guide
- Santa Clara County: Voter’s Guide on Children’s Issues, Kids in Common, Choose Children, and Strong Start
- 2022 Election Year Engagement Guide for Voters, Michigan’s Children
- National PTA
- Save the Children Action Network
First Focus Campaign for Children (@Campaign4Kids) is using social media to ask candidates in key races where they stand on issues affecting children—and share their responses with a growing network who follow and contribute to hashtags #VoteKids and #Whosforkidsandwhosjustkidding.
Legislator/Legislation Scorecards
Once elected officials are in office, youth and other communities can make sure these leaders prioritize children and youth. The following resources are examples of tools to help keep policymakers accountable to kids.
- First Focus Legislative Scorecard tallies up actions that members of the 117th Congress took related to making children a top priority.
- Bill Tracker, from First Focus Campaign for Children, rates current bills and votes in Congress according to whether they help or hurt kids.
- Legislative Report Card, from Children’s Defense Fund, reviews lawmakers’ actions for children.
Political Activities
People who care about children can help in several ways to elect child-friendly candidates so long as they do so as an individual, on their own time, and not through any nonprofit organization they may be associated with. They can volunteer in candidates’ campaigns, endorse candidates, and make financial contributions. These political contributions are not tax-deductible. Leaders for children have begun working together to identify high-priority candidates and give them financial support through Vote Kids! 2022 Campaign Fund.
If you are involved in any election activities to elevate children as a priority, please let us know. We’d like to share what you are doing.
KidsImpact.org 