Young entered the State Senate in 1988 when he was appointed to complete the unexpired term of then-Senator Frank O'Bannon. Young was elected to a full-term in 1990 and has been re-elected to five consecutive terms in the Senate. Young served as the Senate's Democrat Leader for twelve years from 1996 to 2008. In 2008 he was appointed to serve as Democrat Leader Pro Tempore.

Over the years, Young has worked on a variety of agricultural, community development, education, labor, health care and fiscal management issues. As Senate Democrat Leader, he has earned praise by utilizing his formidable talents and expertise to forge an effective bridge between the often disparate views of the opposing party.

Young currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate's Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Committee on Local Government. He is a member of the Senate Corrections and Criminal & Civil Matters Committees, and sits on the latter panel's Civil Matters Subcommittee. Young also serves on the Utilities & Technology Committee. He is also a member of the Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Administrative Rules Oversight Commission. He has also been appointed to serve on the Agriculture and Energy Committee and the Legislative Effectiveness Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories.

In 2009 Young helped found the Indiana General Assembly's Rural Caucus. The Rural Caucus is a bi- partisan group of legislators from the State Senate and State House of Representatives that acts as an advocate for the concerns and interests of rural communities.

Prior to joining the State Senate, Young was County Auditor of Crawford County for six years and served as the president and board chairman of E&S Distributors, Inc. In addition, Senator Young is owner of Blue River Valley Farm in Milltown.

Young and his late wife, Elaine, have five adult children. His current wife, Ashira, has two adult children. Together, they have ten grandchildren.