The 2023 Civic Health Assessment was released this past Tuesday, Jan. 23, gauging people’s civic knowledge, where they get political news and political polarization. It gave the state a "C" rating.

“The good news is Kentuckians are a lot less polarized and a lot more tolerant than the average American, which is certainly encouraging,” Secretary of State Michael Adams, R, said. “We also found that Kentuckians disproportionately get their news from legitimate news sources.”

Still, Adams said there is room for improvement.

“What we found is that only half of Kentuckians can name three branches of government," he said. "If you don’t even know basic things like how many branches of government there are and what they do, how in the world can you function as a citizen and hold the government accountable?"

"How can you even vote in a way that's informed?"

It's why Adams proposes adding a fourth year of social studies, focused on civics. He added he recommends a more robust civics test that would be required to graduate. 

“The vast majority of states in America require their students to take a civics course, and I hate seeing Kentucky being at the bottom of the pack,” Adams said.  

Other recommendations include creating an easily accessible state government almanac, known as a "Blue Book," and a government-produced voter guide. 

“The vast majority of engagement in politics is by people that have an angle, and they want something," Adams said. "Our office is looking at doing this in a way that's not partisan.” 

Adding to the school curriculum would require action by the state legislature. Adams said is no timeline for when his proposed civics course would be added, but this recommendation to lawmakers is the first step toward making it happen.