I have spent my career in public service focused on who gets access and who is too often left out. When it comes to our democracy, the most alarming exclusion today is not a lack of interest from young people. It is the lack of opportunity we give them to participate.

Young people are informed, engaged, and vocal about the issues shaping their lives: public safety, climate change, economic security, and racial justice. They organize, advocate, and lead. Yet they are consistently the least likely group to be registered to vote. That contradiction is not accidental. It reflects a system that places unnecessary barriers at the very moment young people become eligible to participate in democracy.

As a state legislator, I believe it is our responsibility to fix that. That is why I introduced the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Law, HB 4339. 

The right to vote in this country was not freely given, it was fought for. Nearly sixty years ago, Americans watched as peaceful marchers were beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for demanding access to the ballot. That violence helped move the nation toward the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a reminder that democracy only endures when we are willing to expand it.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. emerged from that movement with a clear understanding: progress does not sustain itself. Each generation must be intentionally welcomed into civic life, or democracy weakens over time. Naming this legislation in his honor reflects that lesson and carries his legacy forward by focusing on the next generation of voters.

Today, the barriers facing young people look different than they did in 1965, but they are still real. Complicated registration rules, missed deadlines, and lack of access prevent too many eligible students from registering before their first election. When participation is delayed at the start of adulthood, civic engagement often never fully takes hold.

This is not apathy. It is a failure of design.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Law addresses this by requiring Illinois high schools to offer voter registration in a nonpartisan, voluntary, and educational setting. Schools are where young people develop their civic identity. By meeting students where they already are, we make participation accessible, expected, and normal.

The legislation is intentionally narrow and carefully crafted. It prohibits partisan activity in schools and does not tell students how to vote or whether to vote at all. Its purpose is simple: ensure that young people are not excluded from democracy before they ever have the chance to participate.

History shows that when barriers are removed, participation grows. The Voting Rights Act eliminated poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation. Today, expanding access means recognizing that lifelong civic engagement begins early. Research consistently shows that people who vote in their first eligible election are far more likely to remain engaged throughout their lives.

At a moment when voting rights protections are being weakened across the country, investing in youth voter access is not radical. It is responsible. It is how we ensure our democracy reflects the voices of future generations, not just those who already know how to navigate the system.

Honoring the legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. means more than remembering past victories. It means continuing the work of inclusion. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. Young Voter Empowerment Law does exactly that—by expanding access to the ballot and strengthening our democracy for the generations to come.

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Illinois State Representative Kimberly Du Buclet is a full-time legislator representing Chicago’s South Side. A former Vice President of the Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, she serves on multiple Illinois state committees and commissions focused on environmental justice, economic security, equity and inclusion, and the protection of vulnerable populations. In the General Assembly, Rep. Du Buclet is committed to expanding democratic participation, advancing environmental justice, and strengthening opportunity for Illinois families.