OUR WORK
Vote For Kids
Children represent 25% of Alaska’s population, but when it comes to policy changes that impact them, they are voiceless. Children and youth cannot vote – but you can. From Juneau to DC, elected officials have the power to make decisions that affect our children, youth, and families. And you have the power to put them there.
Be a voice for kids during election season, and let’s make sure they’re the priority.
SELECT AN AREA:
>Get Involved as an Individual
>Get Involved as an Organization
>Engaging Kids in Voting
>Find Your Legislative District
About Vote For Kids
Created by Alaska Children’s Trust, Vote For Kids is a nonpartisan campaign aimed at elevating issues that impact children, youth, and families and making them core to candidate’s platforms. Over the past decade, Alaska has invested less and less in ensuring Alaska’s children and youth thrive.
Currently, Alaska ranks 41st in the nation for child well-being. One key way to reverse these trends is to ensure individuals seeking elected office hear loud and clear from Alaskans that children, youth, and families should be their top priority.
When you vote, we encourage you to think about Alaska’s kids – to strongly consider casting your vote for those that will use their power and leadership to make the world, our state, and our communities a better place to be a kid and to raise a family. Then, take it a step further- get involved with us by becoming an ACT Advocate- someone we know to call on when we’re looking for community voices to advocate for important policy changes. It’s simple - just subscribe to our advocacy list here.
THINGS YOU CAN DO
Get Involved
As candidates run for office, we want them to focus on the issues that matter most to children and families in Alaska. These resources are to empower you, as an individual or as an organization, to raise these important topics and get to know where candidates stand during – and after – election season.
Get Involved as an Individual
How to Vote
Step 1) Make a plan (pick what day you will mail in your ballot, find your polling location in advance, or make sure to fill out an absentee ballot request)
Step 2) Learn about the new voting system (*only for state elections)
Ranked Choice Voting information
Step 3) Vote!
Candidate Questions
Not sure what to ask a candidate who comes to your door, calls you, or you meet at a community event? These handy questions in the topics of health, economic well-being, education, and family and community can help you be prepared and also give you the data you need to give a candidate context on how Alaskan children and families are doing.
Help Us Spread the Word
Add the Vote For Kids Zoom/ Teams background to your virtual meetings to let your friends, family, or colleagues know that you’re keeping children and families top-of-mind this election season. Download the Vote for Kids background here and upload it to your Zoom or Teams account today!
Share Our Posts
During election season, Alaska Children’s Trust shares important dates, deadlines, and information on our various social media sites. Help us get the word out by following us on Facebook, Instagram, or X and sharing our posts so that everyone knows to Vote For Kids! Click on an icon below to go to our social sites.
Get Involved as an Organization
Get all the information you need to take part in the Vote for Kids campaign - including voting dates, candidate and forum questions, and more in our official 2024 Vote for Kids Partner Toolkit, accessible here.
Elections provide nonprofits with opportunities to connect with community members, interact with officials, and promote children’s issues. As 501(c)(3), organizations have to be aware of the rules pertaining to them, but it doesn’t mean you have to sit elections out! To actively participate in the election cycle, you can:
Host a rally for children, youth, and families
Write an Op-Ed about issues affecting children and youth
Engage in candidate outreach (meet and greets, letters, on social media) and prepare community members with questions to ask candidates about children, youth, and families - here are some questions voters can ask
Host a candidate forum - here are some sample questions you can include in a forum
Some Dos and Don’ts for nonprofits during election season:
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Invite ALL candidates to participate in events, forums, or questionnaires from your organization or create nonpartisan guidelines for candidates to adhere to to attend your forum
Use a nonpartisan moderator at any candidate forum or event you host
Schedule one-on-one meetings with candidates to invite them to your organization and see the work you do
Encourage your members and followers to vote and promote key dates and deadlines
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Appear to endorse a candidate
Allow staff and board members to distribute a particular candidate’s literature or campaign materials
Make specialized invitations to some candidates and not all candidates
Promote any political party or the others
Order Vote for Kids Bookmarks to Give Out
To help spread the word on the importance of Voting for Kids, ACT is sending out free voter information coloring bookmarks with stickers on them! Your organization can order up to 50 bookmarks to give out.
Once you receive your bookmarks, color them in and send us photos of your design or with your sticker on! You can also post them with the hashtag #akvote4kids so we can share them on social media and grow the momentum to Vote for Kids!
Use the Vote For Kids Logos
Our Vote For Kids logo is open for use on items like Children’s Day Rallies, candidate forums, and nonpartisan educational handouts. For questions about branding or logo use or additional Vote For Kids logos, please contact ACT’s Director of Communications here. Right click to download and save a .png logo to your desktop.
Find Out Who Is Running in Your District
Alaska’s 2024 House and Senate Elections
To see who is running for House and Senate in your district:
Locate your address on the map by hovering over it and using your mouse to zoom in or out.
Once you’ve identified your boundary area, click on it.
Next, click on the menu in the top left corner and choose either "House Districts" or "Senate Districts".
THINGS YOU CAN DO
Engaging Kids in the Voting Process
As parents, we are responsible for teaching our kids values and principles that shape them as members of their community. They need to know how to stand up for the things they care about and exercise the rights so many have fought hard for, including voting. Elections and voting define our democracy, and we need to empower children from a young age to use their voice.
ACT Family Activities Related to Voting
Download the Vote for Kids coloring sheet and find out your child’s hopes and dreams!
Practice pick one primary voting for the August 20 primary election - how do you rank your favorite Alaskan foods. Download it here
Practice ranked choice voting for the November 5 General Election - how does your child rank summer activities? Download it here
Even More Kid- Friendly Voting Activities
Simulate the concept of voting by applying it at home! Have a family vote about what to make for dinner, or what game to play. As they get older, nominate the meal or game before the vote, and tell them to make a speech on why others should vote the same way!
Talk about your beliefs and values, and how they impact your kids in ways they can understand.
Teach them how to disagree respectfully and practice listening.
Give them tangible solutions to big problems they are hearing about in the media throughout an election. For example, teach them about how recycling is a small thing they can do to help the environment.
Have them help you fill out your ballot at home or take your child with you if you are voting in person. If you show your kids voting is important to you, they will be more likely to do so when they grow up.
Start building lifelong voting habits in children and help shape the next generation of voters. There are some great resources out there to help you talk to kids about voting and elections:
How Are Alaska’s Children Doing?
So, how are Alaska’s children doing? For nearly a decade, Alaska has ranked in the bottom third of all states for overall child well-being, most recently placing 41st in the nation in 2024.
