(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) — Hundreds of Kentucky high schoolers are now registered to vote ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, thanks to a youth leadership initiative coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives.
The voter registration drives were organized by 13 high school seniors participating in Co-op Champions, a program that builds on students’ experiences from the Electric Cooperative Washington Youth Tour held last summer. The weeklong tour sends student delegates to the nation’s capital to learn about cooperatives and civic leadership.
This fall, each Co-op Champion hosted a voter registration drive at their school as part of Co-ops Vote, a nonpartisan national initiative by America’s electric cooperatives to promote civic engagement. The students set up registration tables in hallways and cafeterias, encouraging classmates who will turn 18 by November 2026 to sign up.
“I commend these students for getting civically engaged at a young age,” said Kentucky Secretary of State Michael G. Adams. “Registering to vote is the first step to active citizenship, on which the American way of life depends.”
Adams partnered with the program when Co-ops Vote launched during the Frankfort Youth Tour in March 2025.
The Co-op Champions program is modeled after cooperative principles that guide Kentucky’s 26 member-owned electric cooperatives. Students receive support from their local co-ops, which sponsored their participation in the Washington Youth Tour, as they plan and execute community service projects.
Among the participants was Brody Miller, a senior at McCracken County High School in Paducah, who organized a drive sponsored by Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative.
The initiative aims to develop leadership skills while preparing young people to become active community members, according to Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association that coordinates the program.
