On Wednesday, the Weber County League of Women Voters will hold a voter engagement workshop at the Weber State Community Education Center in Ogden from 6-8:30 p.m. Meanwhile, on the same night, the League of Women Voters of Davis County will be holding a panel discussion on education funding amendments on the 2024 ballot at the Davis County Library’s main branch in Farmington from 6-8 p.m.

Terri McCulloch, president of the Weber County League of Women Voters, told the Standard-Examiner in an email that outreach events like this are critical given historic voting trends in Utah.

“Utah has the largest percentage of citizens between 18 and 29 and the lowest voter turnout between the same age group. The Weber County League of Women Voters believes that engagement with these individuals along with underrepresented groups and new voters of any age is extremely important,” she said. “To try to answer a lot of questions we receive, we designed this workshop in hopes that some of the boundaries surrounding the lack of voter participation can be addressed, especially through the 18-29 age group. If the apathy in that group doesn’t turn around, they will be living with decisions they chose to have no input on.”

She said the workshop will discuss how to register to vote/check registration, show where to find information on candidates and ballot issues, how underrepresented groups can make their voices heard, the importance of voting and how to separate fact from fiction.

“Basically, the League of Women Voters wants to provide an opportunity for all citizens of Weber County to feel educated and empowered by exercising their right to vote and understanding the process, how and why,” she said.

At the Davis County event, the discussion will center around the two education initiatives — Amendment A and Amendment B — on the 2024 ballot.

According to a press release from the Davis League of Women voters, this will be done with a panel that is set to include: Denise Willmore, president of the Davis Education Association; Liz Mumford, president of the Davis School District Board of Education; and Royce Van Tassell, executive director of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. The moderator of the discussion will be Davis County Commissioner Lorene Kamalu.

“Education funding is really important to our community, and we wanted residents to be able to hear from Davis experts about the potential impact of the ballot initiatives,” Angie Sterner, president of the Davis League of Women Voters, said in the press release. “It will be a great opportunity for residents to get answers to their questions about the initiatives.”