Election season is right around the corner. On Nov. 8 Kentuckians will be lining up at precincts statewide to choose who will represent them in Washington D.C. for the next six years. 

Democrat Charles Booker is running for Senate against Republican incumbent Rand Paul, but unlike other elections, Kentuckians will also be voting on statewide access to legal abortions.   

Local groups such as the College Democrats and the Calloway County Democrats are among many that are working to spread voter information to avoid voters being uninformed at the polls. 

An uninformed voter is an individual who votes but is not well informed on candidates or the issues they support. 

As members of the fourth estate, we at The News find it important to do what we can to make sure voters walk into those poll booths with informed opinions. 

Booker’s message is clear: “Kentucky is worth fighting for.” Booker is fighting for a future where opportunity and success is not determined by zip code, pronouns or other demographics, according to charlesbooker.org. 

Booker has heavily campaigned his Kentucky New Deal, which is described as an investment in the people of Kentucky, widely focusing on investing in low-income areas of Kentucky. 

“It will be the largest investment in the people of Kentucky that we’ve ever seen, ending poverty, delivering quality healthcare to everyone in our Commonwealth and fixing our crumbling infrastructure,” according to charlesbooker.org.

In addition to the Kentucky New Deal, Booker supports reproductive rights, veterans, funding public education and quality healthcare. 

A senator since 2010, Paul is a supporter of constitutional liberties and fiscal responsibilities. 

“As a fierce advocate against government overreach, Dr. Paul has fought tirelessly to return government to its limited, constitutional scope,” according to randpaul.com.  

As a senator, Paul has introduced anti-abortion and military legislation.

In addition, Paul supports balancing the nation’s budget, fixing the justice system, protecting the Second Amendment right to bear arms and reforming Washington through term limits. 

There is a strong push from Booker and his campaign staff to get young voters involved in politics, especially with controversial issues on the ballot this election. 

One of the issues on the ballot is Amendment 2, which addresses the right to abortion. 

The proposed amendment to the Kentucky Constitution states: “To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.”

Senior political science and pre-law major Conor Washburn said it’s important for people to read this amendment with caution. 

“I think it’s kind of a misleading amendment,” Washburn said. “I saw where it said vote ‘yes’ for Amendment 2, and I was like, ‘Oh, okay, like if saying vote ‘yes’ to more abortion access,’ but it’s actually saying, ‘Vote ‘yes’ to not giving people abortion rights.’”

A “yes” vote will support amending Kentucky’s Constitution to declare there is no protected right to abortion. A “no” vote will be against adding the amendment.

Eve Jacobson, a junior Spanish and professional writing double major, said she believes the amendment was worded to purposely confuse voters. 

“The phrase ‘to protect human life’ in particular is intentionally unspecific,” Jacobson said. “It is also definitely not a neutral choice of words, which I doubt is appropriate for an amendment.”

Another issue on this election’s ballot is Amendment 1. 

If passed, Amendment 1 would allow lawmakers to call themselves into a special session, which means they can call sessions to pass laws the governor doesn’t agree with.

Booker has campaigned specifically to young voters in an effort to increase engagement and turnout. 

Washburn said he sees an increase in engagement among young voters but thinks more could be done. 

“I think having people in office that are not…75 years old [will increase engagement],” Washburn said. “That’s why if we see more young people [who] want to run for office and more young people in positions of power, then more young people will be inclined to vote.”

Senior biology major Kylie Jones said she only follows presidential elections but admits she doesn’t enjoy politics. 

“I feel that most of the information circulating is very biased,” Jones said. “I would be more interested in strictly facts about candidates and things like that as opposed to people’s opinions.”

Washburn said he considers an informed voter to be an individual who researches a candidate and the issues they support.

“We have the tools to be informed,” Washburn said. “I feel like that’s on each individual voter…if they utilize those tools the correct way or not.”

When deciding on a candidate, Washburn said he looks for someone who doesn’t put their interests ahead of their voters.  

“I look for someone who has the best interest of all voters in mind, not just one group,” Washburn said. “I want someone who has the best interest of their party and the party that may not vote for them in mind because at the end of the day, we’re all citizens of the same state and all citizens of the same country.”

Jacobson said she believes the majority of young voters are informed on issues but people could begin to do more. 

“I know way too many people who are only going to vote for a candidate based on what political party they are, and I cannot stress how important it is to actually know what you’re voting for,” Jacobson said. “I think the best way to make sure more young voters are informed is also to continue spreading awareness on political topics.” 

Jacobson said she will work to stay informed on political issues.  

“Politics are incredibly complicated to me, and there are so many different components to it that I don’t think I’ll ever understand,” Jacobson said. “That being said, I always do my best to stay informed and try to understand what’s going on to the best of my ability.”

Election Day is Nov. 8. To find out your polling location, visit elect.ky.gov.

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