In Kentucky’s recent gubernatorial election, the lack of voter turnout among democrats drastically altered the outcome in favor of Republican candidate Matt Bevin.

While the percentage of people who identify as Democrats outnumber Republicans, according to a 2015 Gallup poll, Republicans have better success in low-turnout years namely because of their demographics.

Republicans have a higher percentage of older, upper class citizens who have much less social and economic restrictions on their ability to vote, which makes them hard to compete with at the polls.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to prevent voter discrimination by race and economic class, which was common particularly in southern states where literacy tests and scare tactics were used to dissuade minorities from voting.

Following its passing, voter turnout among Democrats, who have a much higher percentage of minorities than Republicans, increased. Despite the increase in voters, voter turnout has significantly dropped since the 63 percent turnout of the 1960 presidential election.

While the Voting Rights Act of 1965 decreased voter discrimination for minorities, there is a major demographic that doesn’t have equal resources to vote as the rest of Americans: the 18-29 year old.

The American Psychological Association’s annual Stress in America survey showed that millennials (Americans aged 18-35) experience the effects of stress, symptoms of which include feeling overwhelmed and lacking motivation/interest, more than any other age group.

Stress and packed schedules make it significantly harder to find the time to go vote, and for many students at UK, the process of voting includes driving back to their county to register and vote, or mailing in one’s registration and an absentee ballot.

Only 19 states in the U.S. have online voter registration, and Kentucky is not one of them according to the non-profit, non-partisan organization Rock the Vote.

For a college student to make the accommodations and plans necessary to vote, they would have to exert more effort than older generations.

Each citizen should have equal representation in state and federal legislature, but when the system is easier to maneuver for only a section of the population, equal representation is unlikely.

If the government wants to properly start representing one of its most neglected demographics or, at the very least, if Democrats want to capitalize on the hundreds of thousands of voters who statistically lean left, they need to make the system easier for them to maneuver.

County registrations are a hindrance for all voters. Online registration, with the option to mail in as well, would reduce the hassle and complication of registering.

If you have a Kentucky license and a Kentucky residence, you should be able to register with ease and vote at any polling booth in the state.

While this would require electronic ballots to prevent voter fraud, the expense is minor compared to the necessity of having equal representation in our legislature.

In addition to reduced registration hassles, Election Day needs to be a national holiday where all workers, except for emergency personal, have the day off of work and students have the day off of school.

Voting is a citizen’s duty, but without the equal opportunities to get to the poles, democracy suffers, and our government fails to represent its citizens.

Making it easier to vote doesn’t give one demographic an unfair advantage — it aids every demographics’ chances.