Kayla Reed, co-founder of Action St. Louis, is hitting the pavement to get young people to vote. Reed got her start in activism after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. At the time, Reed was a pharmacy tech at Omnicare Pharmacy. For two years, she worked as a coordinator for the Organization for Black Struggle. In 2016, Reed realized that there wasn’t a space, beyond protesting, that focused on power building through politics. She started Action St. Louis to prioritize racial justice that bridges advocacy with community mobilization.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a little more than 61 percent of all voting-age American citizens cast their ballots in the last presidential election, but only 46.1 percent of 18–29-year-olds voted. That’s compared to 58.7 percent of 30–44-year-olds, 66.6 percent of 45–64-year-olds, and 70.9 percent of people 65 and older. According to a Tufts University report, young people listed their most common reasons for not voting as not liking the candidates or the issues. Sixty-five percent of respondents ages 18–29 listed that as a major or minor reason they didn’t vote. Another 45.5 percent of young people said they were either too busy or had a conflict on Election Day, and 27.5 percent said they were out of town during the election.
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Action St. Louis is mostly anchored in the Close The Workhouse Campaign; however, through their #WokeVoterSTL and Action Ambassador campaigns, Action St. Louis is taking more steps to get young people to the polls. Through these programs, Action St. Louis focuses on elections that have an impact on the criminal justice system, mayor’s office, circuit attorney, and other authoritative elected offices. Over the past few years, Action St. Louis has reached almost 5,000 young people, getting them registered to vote and to the polls.
The #WokeVoterSTL campaign, which started in 2016 when Action St. Louis launched its Woke Voter brunch series, provides year-round education and engagement. Reed says the last thing anyone would want is for someone to show up at the polls and place an arbitrary vote. Their goal is for voters to equate what is on the ballot to their everyday lives. “We add the ‘here’s why [to vote],’” says Reed. The event has engaged more than 1,500 residents in St. Louis.
Through community outreach, the organization has partnered with neighborhoods in Hyde Park, Dutchtown, and Ferguson. Community members discuss their concerns, solutions, and leadership in their neighborhoods. It advises St. Louisans on how to hold elected officials accountable by protesting policies and how to vote for policies that fit their individual needs.
The grassroots organization has partnered with St. Louis Public School District and Riverview Gardens School District, and it also has ambassadors on five college campuses in the region including Harris-Stowe State University, Washington University, and Webster University. Each ambassador helps students register to vote, aids them in understanding the voting process, and educates them on what will appear on their ballots.
Reed understands she has her work cut out for her, but she doesn’t want to come off as preachy when talking with younger community members about voting. She says the organization doesn’t want to attach voting with civic duty because it doesn’t resonate with young people. Mentioning the sacrifices of civil rights leaders isn’t a strong enough hook. Reed reaches young voters by connecting voting with power.
“Every day, we are impacted by policies, and on Election Day, we can impact the folks who make the policies,” says Reed.
“When [young people] vote more, we are sending a clear message,” Reed continues. “We won’t be ignored.”
