When senior Dione Ramos walked into the Historic County Courthouse as a first-time voter, she emerged with a renewed belief in the power of her voice. 

Root the Power, a youth-led civic engagement group, hosted the annual Vote Mob to celebrate voting and recognize first-time voters like Ramos. 

“I thought that voting would just be circling some ovals and submitting a form,” Ramos said. “But Root the Power made it much more special.

As an intern for Root the Power since May, she has worked to engage her peers in local elections — from making voting fun to educating students about civic engagement — and, now, her efforts to stimulate the youth vote has finally applied to herself. 

Not only did young students like Ramos arrive at the Courthouse to cast their first ballot, but they also came to hang out with friends, dance to a live band and enjoy some free tasty tacos.  

“The Vote Mob made voting feel like a moment that should be celebrated,” said Ramos. “It made me feel like my vote mattered and that I was doing something meaningful.”

According to data retrieved from the Wichita Beacon, despite making up 12.2% of the population in Sedgwick County, 18-to-24-year-olds are only 10.1% of registered voters. 

Young people are among the least likely to vote, but some teenagers are working to turn the tide.  

“I wanted to vote as an 18-year-old because the decisions made by our local politicians really impact us,” Ramos said. “Youth are the generation that has to live with the consequences and decisions of adults. So now that I’m a young adult, I want to finally use my voice and vote.”