Minnesota Civic Youth grew out of the great work started by Kids Voting St. Paul, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to securing and shaping the future of democracy by preparing young people for a life of informed, responsible and engaged citizenship.
Kids Voting St. Paul (KVSP) was established in 2000 and sponsored elections in St. Paul every two years through 2014. In addition, KVSP worked closely with Kids Voting Minneapolis and Kids Voting Minnesota to expand the number of Kids Voting chapters across the state. Thanks to their collective efforts, in 2014 nearly 45,000 Minnesota students from more than 50 communities had an opportunity to cast a Kids Voting ballot. When Kids Voting Minnesota disbanded in 2014, KVSP took the lead in maintaining a “Minnesota Hub” of Kids Voting chapters.
In 2016, KVSP changed its name to Minnesota Civic Youth as part of an effort to expand and enrich its program offerings and impact.