WASHINGTON, DC — In a nationwide push to center the needs of youth in upcoming electoral decisions, Children’s Defense Fund Action (CDF Action) has officially launched its nonpartisan "Voting Rights are Children’s Rights" campaign. The grassroots lobbying and advocacy arm of the national Children’s Defense Fund unveiled the initiative to remind the American electorate of a fundamental premise: while minors cannot cast a ballot, every law, budget, and policy that dictates the quality of their lives is written and enacted by adults who can.
As the nation looks toward the 2026 midterm elections, the newly introduced campaign seeks to mobilize parents, family caregivers, faith leaders, religious congregations, and young voters. The nonpartisan initiative is designed to equip eligible citizens with the resources, knowledge, and motivation necessary to prioritize the interests of children and young people when stepping into the voting booth. To support these efforts, CDF Action has made comprehensive materials available through its campaign website, providing voters with actionable voter guides, clear registration instructions, and practical strategies for including children in conversations about civic participation and democratic choice.
At the heart of the campaign is a call to action for communities to actively model civic engagement. CDF Action is urging its nationwide network of CDF Freedom Schools partner sites to host "Read Aloud for Democracy" experiences at or near early voting centers across the country. Scheduled for October 17, these community-focused events bring parents and children together to read literature before walking over to nearby voting centers together. The strategy allows families to participate directly in the democratic process in states where early voting has already commenced, turning the act of voting into a shared, intergenerational experience.
This philosophy of early and visible civic participation was emphasized recently by CDF Action President and CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson. Speaking before the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., Dr. Wilson stressed the importance of children witnessing the voting process firsthand. He issued a direct challenge to all eligible adults who share lives with children, urging them not only to cast their ballots with the future of youth in mind, but to physically bring young people along to the polling places.
"We don’t believe we can wait until they’re 18 to suggest that they vote. We have to bring them up in a culture of civic engagement by modeling voting, by taking them with us," Dr. Wilson stated during his address. He also pointed to the broader landscape of election protection, noting that civic participation requires a firm stance against barriers designed to disenfranchise communities. "We also understand the election protection work that must happen this year. There must be a moral confrontation at the polls that demonstrates the realities of the challenges of those who would seek to send others to the polls to keep us from there. That they’re really keeping the voices of our children from being heard."
The urgency of the campaign is further heightened by recent legal and political challenges to the American electoral system. Brittany Packnett Cunningham, CDF Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, underscored the direct connection between civil rights, voting access, and child welfare in the wake of significant judicial rulings, pointing specifically to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais.
According to Packnett Cunningham, threats to the ballot box are inherently threats to the well-being of the nation’s youth, particularly children of color in marginalized communities. She argued that civic engagement cannot be separated from the everyday struggles families face in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
"We are clear at CDF Action that voting rights are children’s rights," Packnett Cunningham said. "Every school that gets shuttered was a vote. Every lunch line that gets cut was a vote. Every hospital that closes in a rural county or an urban core, where a Black mother is trying to deliver a healthy baby, was a vote. You cannot say that you love children and stay silent while the vote is being strangled. These are the same fight."
In alignment with these principles, the "Voting Rights are Children’s Rights" campaign encourages voters to look beyond individual candidates and focus on structural reforms. CDF Action is calling on the public to support initiatives that expand voting protections, reform the judicial system, and hold public corruption accountable. Furthermore, the organization remains steadfast in its long-term commitment to ensuring that the next generation is fully equipped to volunteer, advocate, and lift their voices in public life. This commitment includes active advocacy to lower the federal voting age to 16, a measure designed to give young people a direct mechanism to influence the policy decisions that directly impact their schooling, health, and futures.
Founded in 1969 as the Washington Research Project Action Council, CDF Action continues to operate as a registered 501(c)(4) social welfare organization governed by a policy council. Through grassroots lobbying, congressional advocacy, and public accountability tools such as its signature nonpartisan Legislative Report Card, the organization works continuously to advance child well-being and inform the American public about legislative activity impacting the nation’s youth.
