The League of Women Voters and The Civics Center Join Forces to Empower Young Americans
New National Partnership to Promote High School Voter Registration
I’m so excited to announce a formal collaboration with the League of Women Voters, who will be partnering with us at The Civics Center to foster voter registration in US high schools. Our long-term goal is to empower the next generation of American voters to participate fully in public life and our aim this year is to get the Class of 2026 ready to vote before they graduate!
Loyal readers will know that every year 4 million Americans turn 18—but fewer than half are typically registered to vote for their first election (vs. 75% of voters age 45+), in part because the registration process can be challenging for teens. We believe that voter registration belongs in every high school in America-because the most effective way to overcome these hurdles is to train and equip students to lead regular, nonpartisan voter registration drives in high school, with the help of their teachers, as a precursor to graduation.
The League of Women Voters at the national, state, and local level are trusted experts in the communities they serve. So this collaboration means high school communities across the country will get reliable resources and training for students and educators to make nonpartisan voter registration a lasting tradition for all young Americans.
Most young Americans can pre-register to vote aged 15, 16 or 17, and high schools are the ideal settings to help them navigate the process, which varies state to state. Almost every American is old enough to register before they graduate high school. Many states have laws, often ignored, requiring high schools to help students register to vote.
Together, we have developed state-specific training programs and toolkits for members to support students, teachers, and administrators in holding voter registration drives.
As Jeannette Senecal, Chief of Civic Learning & Impact for the League, said when we announced our partnership:
We know that when students lead, their peers follow. Our democracy is at its strongest when every voice is heard, and that journey begins the moment a young person steps into their power as a voter. By joining forces with The Civics Center, the League of Women Voters is empowering our grassroots to effectively meet students where they are: in the classroom. Together, we are equipping student leaders to remove registration hurdles and ensure that high school graduation marks the beginning of a lifetime of civic participation.
We’ve been working together informally for a while and we know how effective our partnership is. One of our earlier collaborators, Frances MacCarrigan, a member of the LWV of Burlington County, NJ, hailed the move:
I am over the moon because I am confident that by collaborating with The Civics Center we will reach more youth and get them registered and civically engaged. This model works — one LWV ambassador working with students attained 92 registrations over two days because kids pay attention to their friends and fellow students.
As most of you will know, the League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. With active Leagues in all 50 states and more than 800 Leagues across the country, including Leagues with active programs or an interest in high school voter registration, LWV works to protect every American’s freedom to vote.
The League has such deep and trusted connections across the country we’re confident this new partnership will help supercharge our campaign to get many more young Americans ready to vote in this year’s crucial midterm elections and beyond.