Why Democracy Must Be Built for the Next Generation

OP-ED

Why Democracy Must Be Built for the Next Generation

Every year in Illinois, thousands of young people turn 18 ready to vote but never make it onto the voter rolls. Not because they are disengaged or indifferent, but because our system too often makes participation harder than it needs to be at the very moment civic habits are forming.

This gap between interest and participation reflects a familiar challenge in American democracy: rights that exist in principle but remain uneven in practice. It is a challenge the nation confronted nearly sixty years ago—and one whose lessons still matter today.

In 1965, peaceful marchers in Selma risked, and in many cases suffered violence to demand a fundamental right: access to the ballot. The brutality on the Edmund Pettus Bridge shocked the conscience of the nation and helped lead directly to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most consequential expansions of democracy in American history. That moment affirmed a simple but enduring truth: democracy does not sustain itself. It must be actively protected and continually expanded.

That same principle is behind the Jesse Jackson, Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Law. This is a piece of legislation I introduced as House Bill 4339 to expand voter-registration opportunities for high school students across Illinois.

Jesse Jackson, Sr. emerged from the Selma movement with a lifelong understanding that civil-rights victories are never final. Progress, once achieved, can stall or be reversed if institutions fail to carry it forward. His work consistently emphasized participation: bringing new voices into civic life and ensuring exclusion did not simply take new forms. Naming this legislation in his honor reflects that philosophy. It is not about nostalgia; it is about continuity.

Today’s young people are among the most informed and outspoken voices on issues shaping our collective future—from racial justice and gun violence to climate change and economic opportunity. Yet they remain the least likely age group to participate in elections. Too often, this is framed as apathy. In reality, it is a system failure.

High school students balance academics, jobs, family responsibilities, and extracurricular demands. Many age into eligibility after registration deadlines have passed or lack access to clear, reliable information about how and when to register. When participation is delayed or complicated, fewer voices are heard—and democracy becomes less representative as a result.

The Jesse Jackson, Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Law addresses this inequity directly. It would require Illinois high schools to offer students the opportunity to register to vote in a voluntary, nonpartisan, educational setting. The bill explicitly prohibits partisan activity in schools, ensuring voter registration remains focused on access and civic participation—not political persuasion.

This legislation does not tell young people how to vote or what to believe. It simply ensures they are not excluded before they ever have the chance to cast a ballot.

Throughout American history, expanding democracy has meant meeting people where they are. The Voting Rights Act dismantled literacy tests, poll taxes, and intimidation because those barriers distorted participation. Today’s barriers look different, but their impact is familiar. Schools are where civic identity forms. Integrating voter registration into high schools reinforces the idea that participation is expected, valued, and achievable.

At a time when voting-rights protections have been weakened across the country, expanding access to the ballot is neither radical nor partisan. It is responsible governance—and it honors the legacy of those who marched, organized, and sacrificed to make our democracy more inclusive.

Remembering Selma means more than commemorating history. It means acting on its lessons. The Jesse Jackson, Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Law carries that legacy forward by ensuring the next generation is not merely watching democracy, but participating in it.

Kimberly Du Buclet
Illinois State Representative, 5th District

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