In November 2026, Nebraska voters will go to the polls and cast their votes for the state’s next governor. But as they so often are, the kids are a step ahead.
As evidenced by the inauguration of Nebraska’s inaugural Kid Governor on Jan. 13, Charlotte “Charlie” Couch of Ralston and her cabinet of fellow fifth grade students are ready to lead the way while setting the example.
With a crowd of more than 100 looking on from the Rotunda of the Nebraska State Capitol, Charlotte officially kicked off her one-year term as Nebraska’s first Kid Governor by taking the oath of office. Merv Riepe, state senator for Charlotte’s own District 12, presided over the swearing-in ceremony. Separated by more than 70 years, Riepe first offered Charlotte a riser with the words, “Today is your day to stand tall.”
LeeAnn Pancharoen, Civic Nebraska’s senior director of programs, echoed that sentiment during her remarks.
“The Kid Governor program began in Connecticut nearly a decade ago with a simple but powerful idea,” Pancharoen said. “What if we trusted young people not just to learn about democracy but to practice it? What if we treated civics not as something abstract, or as distant, but as something lived, felt, and shared — even at the age of 10 or 11?”
Three years after Civic Nebraska began talking with the Connecticut Democracy Center about importing the program to the Cornhusker State — and two months after 600-plus fifth graders voted in a statewide election — Charlotte laid out her platform: raising awareness and support for the many Nebraskans affected by cancer.
Driven in part by cancer’s impact on her own family, Charlotte intends to fundraise for and promote Camp Kesem, a volunteer-powered camp for kids whose parents have been diagnosed with cancer. She also plans to support the Hope Lodge, an Omaha-based program that provides a free home-away-from-home for cancer patients and their families.
“We are showing everyone what leadership looks like in our state and in our communities,” Charlotte said after recognizing her six-member cabinet, whose platforms were also highlighted. “Just think of all that we can do together. Let’s get to work, Nebraska.”
The inauguration included a reading from Victoria Bogatz, Nebraska’s youth poet laureate, plus remarks from State Sens. Margo Juarez and John Frederickson. Juarez encouraged Charlotte and her cabinet to continue running for offices (including, eventually, the state legislature), while Frederickson spoke to the inspiration of seeing elementary students personifying the all-in participation required for a thriving democracy.
Riepe, Juarez and Frederickson were joined at the ceremony by State Sens. Jana Hughes, Megan Hunt, Kathleen Kauth, and Dave Wordekemper, along with the 43rd Army Band and dozens of other Nebraskans eager for a glimpse of the state’s future-is-now leadership.
“In a moment when many adults feel cynical or weary about democracy,” Pancharoen said, “these students reminded us what it can look like at its best: hopeful, earnest, active, and future-oriented. There’s something so deeply aspirational about this — and frankly, those of us with a few years on us have a lot to learn from you all.
“The young leaders taking their oaths today are powerful reminders of something essential: that leadership doesn’t begin at a certain age. It begins when someone decides to care — and then act. In so many ways, they’ve not been our students, but our teachers.”
For more about Nebraska’s Kid Governor® program, visit ne.kidgovernor.org.