Yolanda Renee King on carrying her grandfather’s legacy to the ballot box

The 18-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. reflects on the significance of her first election, Gen Z’s political engagement, and more.

For as long as she can remember, Yolanda Renee King has always wanted to vote. In fact, the 18-year-old grandchild of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King recalls feeling a little FOMO during previous elections when she was too young to participate. So imagine her surprise when she finally got her chance and discovered that exercising her constitutional right came with a bit of a learning curve.

“When I was actually putting my ballot into the machine, I kept putting it in incorrectly,” she recalled with a laugh during an interview with theGrio Wednesday. “They were like having to show me, ‘like, no, it’s here.’”

In her defense, even seasoned voters can need help navigating the machinery.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, King, whose family name is synonymous with the fight for voting rights in America, officially cast her first ballot in Atlanta, Georgia, with her parents, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King, by her side.

“It was so rewarding,” she gushed, adding that despite the hiccup with the voting machine, the experience was everything she had hoped for.

The significance of this milestone was not lost on her. More than 60 years ago, her grandfather was among those leading the charge for voting rights, which were won through the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It’s part of why she decided to open up publicly about the experience, in the hopes of inspiring the next generation to realize the power of its vote.

“Voting is a big part of my family legacy and the work my family did,” she explained. “It’s also significant that I had the ability to vote, and it was the very thing that my grandfather, one of the very things and components my grandfather dedicated his life to, in his fight for freedom.”

Her first election also happened to be a historic one. Across the country, Democrats celebrated a wave of victories in the 2026 midterm elections, including in King’s home state of Georgia, where former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor.

“Very, very exciting, very empowering,” she said of watching the results come in. “I’m just so happy that I could be a part of it.”

She added, “I personally feel, and not to be conceited [about Georgia], but I feel very accomplished, and that we were able to do something.”

King was particularly proud to see young voters participate, especially given the criticism Gen Z often faces for being politically disengaged.

“I think that we were just overall so frustrated and tired of what we were seeing and the state of the world,” she said of what motivated young voters, reminding that, “My generation has always been quite vocal about the issues.” 

She added, “Gen Z gets the reputation of being the generation that is just lazy and doesn’t really care. But I think that this election proved otherwise.”

For King, a Columbia University freshman studying social justice, casting her first ballot has also deepened her understanding of what it means to make a difference. Growing up, she recalled, her parents would reassure her that their votes had her in mind. But for a young girl determined to make her own voice heard, that compromise never quite satisfied her.

“It was the best that could be done, but it wasn’t enough,” she explained. “It’s just really been amazing to be able to have my own vote, to have my own voice.”

Of course, King was making her voice heard long before she was old enough to cast a ballot. In 2018, at just 9 years old, she captivated a crowd of thousands during the March for Our Lives demonstration in Washington, D.C., where she invoked her grandfather’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech while calling for an end to gun violence.

In the years since, she has continued advocacy for voting rights, gone before large crowds to give remarks in honor of the historic March on Washington, and has even released the children’s book “We Dream a World: Carrying the Light From My Grandparents,” inspired by her grandparents’ legacy.

Still, while carrying one of the most recognizable names in American civil rights history comes with certain expectations, King said her parents have always encouraged her to forge her own path.

“I was brought up in an environment which never imposed a sort of identity within me,” she explained.

Her parents, she recalled, reminded her that her worth was never dependent on her famous grandparents.

“Yes, you come from a historic family. Yes, your grandfather did a lot of amazing things, but that’s not what makes you special,” she recalled them telling her. “What makes you special is that you are Yolanda King, and you do not have to be Martin Luther King or Coretta Scott King in order to hold value, in order to be special.”

That independence has informed how she approaches activism, including her belief that Americans have a responsibility to participate in elections, even when the candidates or the political climate leave them feeling discouraged.

“If you see the challenges and the disparities within our world, and you care about that, then you should go, and you should vote,” she urged.

King even offered an analogy from her own experience as a college student, comparing midterm elections to midterm exams. Just as students cannot afford to ignore the assignments leading up to their final grade, she argued, voters cannot afford to participate only in presidential elections.

With the results of her first election now in, King is hopeful about what comes next. But she is also adamant that the victories should mark the beginning of continued civic engagement rather than the end of it.

“I’ve been talking to my friends, everybody. I think the energy is just so excited, and we need to be sure to keep it up,” she said, celebrating the Democratic victories.

However, maintaining this momentum is going to take more than just being happy now. King wants voters to remain engaged, continue advocating for change, and above all, hold their newly elected leaders to the promises that helped put them in office.

“Whatever we do, we cannot go on autopilot,” she urged. “We still need to keep our eyes open. We still need to be making sure that we are communicating with our leaders. Communication is key in any sort of concept, and that includes politics as well.”