LEITCHFIELD, Ky. (Sept. 18, 2024) – Inspired by lessons learned during a leadership experience sponsored by Warren RECC, Grayson County High School senior Zola Nunn is encouraging her fellow students to register to vote.

“Voting is our opportunity to shape the future,” Nunn said while hosting a registration drive outside the high school cafeteria on National Voter Registration Day September 17 as part of the Co-ops Vote program.

With support from Warren RECC, Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and her high school counselor, Nunn aims to educate and encourage eligible voters to register and participate in the upcoming elections.

“We are incredibly proud of Zola for taking the initiative to lead this important event” said Aggie Manion, Grayson County High School counselor. “It’s important that our students recognize the power they have to impact their community and the world around them.”

Nunn learned about the Co-ops Vote initiative during trips to Frankfort and Washington, D.C. as part of the annual Youth Tour program coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association of all 26 co-ops in the commonwealth. Warren RECC sponsored six students on the Washington Youth Tour this summer where delegates met Kentucky’s top political leaders and congressional staff, attended leadership seminars and toured national memorials.

“We are extremely proud of Zola and her initiative to make sure students her age are engaged in the political process” says Patty Kantosky, Warren RECC Vice President of Member Services and Information Technology. “The Frankfort and Washington Youth Tours are great opportunities for our students to learn more about how their government works and we are proud to be a part of them. We can’t wait to see what Zola and her fellow classmates accomplish as they go out into the world.”

The experience sparked a desire for Nunn to educate her friends, family and classmates about the importance of voting and raising voter turnout.

“I want to make sure that everyone knows how easy it is to register and that their voices can make a difference,” she said.

Since 2016, Kentucky’s electric cooperatives have partnered with the Kentucky Secretary of State on the Co-ops Vote program, a nonpartisan initiative with the goal of reversing a downward trend in rural voting.

A review of State Board of Elections data in the last ten presidential elections shows Kentucky voter turnout has yet to rebound since a steep decline in voter participation 28 years ago. In 1992, Kentucky reported 73.2% of registered voters cast a ballot in the general election. Just four years later, voter turnout dropped to 59.3%. Despite modest increases in subsequent presidential election cycles, voter turnout dipped even lower, to 59.1% in 2016, then clawed back to 60.3% in 2020.

According to the National Voter Registration Day annual report, 130,000 people across the country registered to vote or updated their registration on National Voter Registration Day in 2023. Alumni from the Youth Tour program, such as Zola Nunn, have also responded to the challenge by hosting voter registration drives.

“At the heart of every electric cooperative is the co-op principle of Concern for Community,” said Joe Arnold, Vice President of Strategic Communications. “Another co-op principle is Democratic Member Control. We are so proud of Zola for picking up the torch and embracing cooperative principles. By registering to vote as soon as they are eligible, then showing up at the ballot box in November, students like Zola are making voting a habit and strengthening our democracy.”

Those who are not registered to vote have until October 7, 2024, to register and be eligible to vote in the general election on November 5, 2024. Stop by your local county clerk’s office to register in person or click here to learn how to register online or by mail.

To learn more about Co-ops Vote, click here.