FARMINGTON—In a year where elections were overshadowed by controversy, Davis County has been recognized nationally for its program to keep the up and coming generation of voters engaged. 

“ELECTricity publishes 27 ideas to encourage youth participation in the election process,” said Davis County Clerk/Auditor Curtis Koch.  “We were the first bullet point of best practices. Davis County is leading the way in the state.”

“Elections Just for Kids” is a section on the Davis County Clerk Elections webpage. “It’s an idea that the staff brought forward to get outreach to citizens and future voting citizens,” Koch said. “There’s so much for our youth to understand and become active in. If we can start early and get them interested and educated about the election process it will make it not so foreign to them when they turn 18.”

It’s for teachers, parents and civic groups, he said. “It’s a great way to inform and educate youth in the county.”

The site has several activities that both kids and adults can participate in. “There are a couple informational items such as an election timeline on voter rights,” said Chief Deputy Brian McKenzie. “There are lesson plans for teachers and printable activities like a word search. Kids can make their own campaign posters and there are online forms where they can ask questions like ‘what would I do if I were president?’”

It’s not only a good resource for teachers but parents as well, McKenzie said. “When we rolled it out we gave out bookmarks to all the elementaries. It has voter preparation with a little character that gets registered and gets his parents to vote. He tells them to watch for the ballot to come in the mail. We want to engage the kids and then have them talk to their parents and encourage them as well.”

“It gives youth and adults the opportunity to take time to learn about the election process,” said Koch. “It takes away the uncertainty and maybe the distrust with the election process.”

If citizens are involved and engaged they can have confidence that when they cast their vote, especially in Davis County, that their vote will be counted fairly, accurately and in an honest manner, he said. “It’s the foundation of our democracy. It’s a scary time in our nation.”

Koch said Davis County has been using vote by mail since 2014. “We’re the first large county to implement the process to secure ballots and make sure voters are heard. Citizens should go to our website and watch our videos and utilize the Clerk’s office to get answers on questions about elections.” 

The more people are engaged and educated, even if they don’t always agree, and if they better understand the election process the more confidence can be restored, he said. “Voters should know it’s run by committed people. It’s administered by our friends, neighbors and family members. It’s a locally run election. That should help alleviate concern moving forward. It makes widespread fraud extremely difficult, especially in national elections.”

Looking forward, Koch said he hopes for a great year of municipal elections. “Whether someone agrees with what we say or not, they can become better informed about elections.”