There are many reasons why people don't vote, run for office or otherwise get involved in the democratic process, but the simplest explanation is, to be blunt, ignorance and apathy.
People don't know enough about how the government works and don't understand why they should care.
Secretary of State Trey Grayson has a plan to cure those ills, but it's a plan that will take generations to work and will be hard to gauge the success of.
So let's get started.
Grayson says the solution is to start young and build a lifelong interest in "civic literacy.'' This shouldn't be a haphazard and half-hearted effort but a formal part of Kentucky's curriculum, he says.
That's why Grayson is proposing a summit be held at Northern Kentucky University, using the school's new Center for Civic Engagement, to discuss the issue. The summit would evaluate and figure out a strategy for improving civic literacy programs in schools, then present a plan to implement that strategy to the state General Assembly before the 2005 legislative session.
Resolutions being considered in the state House and Senate would get the process started, and they'd also give the effort legitimacy.
There are numerous measures that show the need for such an effort, including a recent study that shows fewer than 40 percent of adults under age 24 voted.
One of the problems is that Kentucky schools don't require a government class for high schoolers, Grayson says.
The result is that often citizens of other countries have a better appreciation of American democracy than Americans do, says Laurie DiPadova-Stocks, the director of the center for civic engagement.
That concern is shared by the American Political Science Association, which two years ago created a standing committee on civics education and engagement.
Some political scientists note that too often teachers and textbooks focus not on fostering an appreciation of our system of government but on critical analysis only. The result is massive distrust of government, alienation and apathy.
Low voting totals are an outgrowth of that apathy. That's why programs like Kids Voting are so important.
But it's more than just voting. It's also the notion of basic citizenship and connection to society, and that's why efforts like that proposed by Grayson need to happen.
We urge legislators to sign on to the summit immediately.