Hey Pennsylvania: Register to Vote.
In Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs, fewer than 20% of youth who will be 18-years-old on Election Day are registered to vote.
Uniting for youth and democracy, The Civics Center convenes more than 70 nonprofits to promote High School Voter Registration Week.
Approximately one million high school students will be old enough to vote in November if they are registered. Millions more live in states where they can preregister to vote as soon as they turn 16 or 17, providing additional opportunities for youth engagement. Virtually all Americans become eligible to register or preregister while they are still in high school. Yet most schools have no programs, curriculum, training, or events to actually help their students take this important step.
Guest Blog: The Federal Civics Secures Democracy Act Represents a Generational Investment in K-12 Civic Education and the Future of Our Constitutional Democracy
CSD is the first bipartisan initiative to support states and local school districts in offering the civic education needed to equip youth in the United States with the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become informed and engaged members of society. This comprehensive piece of legislation responds to a crisis in civic education that has seen the subject neglected over the past 50 years.
Our bodies. Our votes.
When we read the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, taking away federal constitutional protection for abortion rights and signaling that further erosion of fundamental rights may be on the horizon, we thought about the 1.5 million Americans who are turning 18 between now and Election Day in November.
With five months before Election Day, more than 1.5 million Americans will be turning 18 before Election Day.
Election Day is only five months away, and 1.5 million youth across the country are turning 18 before November 8, 2022. Virtually all of these young people are eligible to register to vote today, and then they can vote in the midterms in November.
Graduation Season Calendar: Where and When to Get the Class of 2022 Ready to Vote.
We created a resource to help community groups, parents, and volunteers focus their efforts on specific school districts. Our School District Graduation Calendar lists the graduation season dates for the most populous districts in each state. This is a great starting point for encouraging students and educators to plan registration drives at their schools in connection with graduation.
Statement to high school and college students on the Supreme Court’s draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade
Congress and state legislatures can protect abortion rights and encourage health care institutions to provide it. Every member of the House of Representatives, one-third of the U.S. Senate, and thousands of state legislative seats will be up for election in November. Young people are not set up today to have an equal voice in these elections today because so few are registered.
Accept the Challenge: Help the Class of 2022 get Ready to Vote.
The Civics Center’s Class of 2022 Ready to Vote Challenge engages educators, students, parents, and community members in the high school registration process. The Challenge already has more than 40 co-sponsor non-profit organizations.
Young people could decide the Virginia Gubernatorial Election
Approximately 95,000 young people turn 18 in Virginia, but fewer than 70,000 young people ages 18-24 have registered to vote since November 2020. As a result, the registration gap between young and older voters has widened.
Stop Being Invisible
In California, 71% of citizens age 25 and above are registered to vote. In the overwhelming majority of school districts in LA County, however, fewer than half of the young people who turned 18 in the six months following the November 2020 election are registered to vote.
Students want high schools to do more to help them register to vote
The Civics Center recently took a survey of college students from around the country to find out if they thought high schools should teach students how to register to vote. Over 90% of responding college students indicated that high schools should indeed teach students about registering.
On the 50th anniversary of the 26th Amendment, the need to protect voting rights is clear
Young people are as crucial to our democracy today as they were in 1971 when the 26th Amendment was enacted. It is time for our country to live up to its promise.
Statement on the For the People Act to 16 million Future Voters now in US high schools
Laura W. Brill, Executive Director of The Civics Center, issued the following statement to the 16 million future voters now in US high schools regarding their role in strengthening our democracy following Joe Manchin’s assertion that he will not vote for the For the People Act.
Youth voters in New York City high schools could shift the Mayoral race, if they’re registered
Tens of thousands of potential new voters will be graduating from New York City’s high schools in June, and polls show that next month’s primary election for New York City Mayor is a wide-open race. These youth voters could play a decisive role in the outcome of the election, but only if they are registered to vote.
Why I’m obsessed with high school voter registration
Welcome to 2021. As we look ahead, we know our democracy will continue to face challenges. We also know that young people care and will turn out to vote if they are registered.
Friendship is the key to expanding youth civic engagement [Voices of Democracy series]
Educating myself on current events in politics has allowed me to talk to new people and help deepen relationships with friends I previously had.
Bloomington in Action
Before their collaboration on a digital voter registration drive, Lucia Walker and Celina German never knew they lived in the same neighborhood, let alone the same town. Lucia, a rising senior at Bloomington High School South in Bloomington, Indiana, and Celina, a rising senior at Kenyon College and a BHSS alumna, are both interested in civic engagement.
What you can do
A note from a high school student asked what he could do to improve high school voter registration rates in his hometown. It got me thinking about creating a list of easy-to-use resources laying out what students can do on a personal level and in their schools to make a difference.
“Let’s Get To Work” To Support Youth Voting
Last week Barack Obama challenged young Americans to “get to work.” He asked youth activists to create momentum, to effect real change, to sustain that change. He asked them to raise awareness, which thousands of young people are already doing through peaceful protest. And he asked young people to vote.