Will the Class of 2020 Vote Next November? California’s Governor Just Vetoed Legislation That Would Have Made it More Likely.
Almost every member of the Class of 2020 in California high schools will be old enough to vote next November. But will they be registered? Governor Gavin Newsom just vetoed AB 773, which would have required public high schools to give students the opportunity to register or pre-register to vote and to teach students about the voting process.
4,000 Youth Registrations during High School Voter Registration Week
The first-ever nationwide High School Voter Registration Week was a big success! The week of action improved low youth voter registration rates by encouraging and supporting students to register and pre-register eligible 16, 17, and 18 year-olds to vote.
A Letter to High School Climate Strikers
What you are planning is remarkable. I’m a lawyer, parent, and former law clerk to Justice Ginsburg (yes, the Notorious RBG). As I asked myself what I might do to support you, I tried to imagine what might be on your mind.
35% of Maryland Teens are Pre-registered to Vote
As of 2018, Maryland became the 18th state to adopt Election Day Registration, allowing eligible citizens to register to vote and cast their ballots at the same time during the early voting period through election day. Despite the state’s efforts to engage its citizens in the electoral process, more than half of the counties in Maryland have a pre-registration rate lower than 40%.
In D.C., the Doors are Open
According to The Civics Center’s new analysis, as of August 2019, only 19% of 16- and 17-year-olds in D.C. are pre-registered to vote. Despite D.C.’s success in passing reforms aimed at removing obstacles to voter participation, there is still room for improvement, especially in fully engaging youth in the electoral process. An estimated 4% of D.C.’s 16 year-olds are pre-registered to vote, while there is a significant increase of pre-registered 17 year-olds at 35%.
Introducing High School Voter Registration Week
Too often in the past, people have dismissed concerns about low levels of youth involvement as being based on the stereotype that young people are apathetic and self-centered. That’s not what we see at The Civics Center.
Less than 1% of Maine 17-year-olds are Pre-registered to Vote
Youth ages 18-29 make up only 15% of the Maine population. In the 2018 election, voter turnout amongst 18-29 year-olds in the state was 36.4%, slightly above the 31% national average. Despite the expansion in legislation and youth turnout, every county in Maine has a pre-registration rate lower than 3%.
Massachusetts Pre-registration Rate Rises to 25%
In 2018, the pre-registration rate in Massachusetts reached 25%, as more than 42,378 eligible 16- and 17-year-olds pre-registered to vote in the state. Between 2016 and 2018, Massachusetts pre-registered more than 62,183 young people.
First Person: A Line Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
I understand from growing up in Orange County that the earlier students get introduced to the democratic voting process, the more likely they are to fight their stereotypical OC apathy in the “OC Bubble” and actively participate in our electoral process.
Only 19% of Rhode Island Teens Are Pre-registered to Vote
A new analysis released by The Civics Center reveals that 19% of 16- and 17-year-olds are pre-registered to vote in Rhode Island. Providence County, with the largest population in the State, has the lowest preregistration rate -- just 12%. On the flip side, Bristol County, with the lowest population has the highest preregistration rate at 26%
Delaware’s Pre-registration Rates Lag Behind Many States
Despite Delaware’s high voter registration rate and efforts to continuously increase the accessibility of voting, this progress is yet to be reflected in the numbers concerning youth pre-registration.
New Study Reveals 14% of Utah 16- and 17-year-olds Are Pre-registered to Vote
The 2018 primary elections made Utah history as they were the first to allow pre-registered 17-year-olds to cast a ballot in the state. Despite the promise of this new law, more than two-thirds of the counties in Utah had fewer than 20% of 16- and 17-year-olds pre-registered.
Student Leaders: Recruit High School Voters Yourselves
A bill that could have added lots of high school voters to the rolls in Maryland before the next presidential election died in committee last spring. If passed, it would have gone into effect on October 1, 2020, just a month or so before the presidential election.
What’s going on with voter pre-registration in West Virginia?
The average pre-registration rate in West Virginia is just 14%. While on par with California, statewide pre-registration averages in West Virginia are dwarfed by states like Colorado and Oregon that see numbers doubling W.V.’s rate.
Leading by Example: Lee County, Florida Excels in Civic Engagement
Lee County teaches us that voter education and registration should be a tradition in high schools just like homecoming, college preparation, and graduation. Just as the college application process is about preparing students for their academic lives after high school, the voter education process should be about preparing students for their civic lives after high school.
New Oregon Study Finds 29% of 16- and 17-year-olds are Pre-registered to Vote Statewide
In 2018, pre-registration rates across Oregon counties were relatively uniform--the majority of counties measuring between 22% to 35% of 16- and 17-year-olds pre-registered--in comparison to states like West Virginia and Colorado that contain large amounts of variation.
All trains lead to voter registration
I could hear the commotion of the venue as I exited the L train stop on West 14th Street. My friend Ava and I had lugged a bag filled with candy, stickers, info-sheets about The Civics Center, and a hundred voter registration forms across two different NYC Subway lines.
Room for Improvement in Colorado Pre-registration Rates
A new analysis reported by The Civics Center reveals that only 31% of 16- and 17-year olds in Colorado were pre-registered to vote in 2018. Pre-registration rates vary widely among Colorado counties.
Voting Reforms and Implementation: A New York Story
On the second day of a legislative session that introduced a squad of newcomers who had campaigned against disenfranchisement and corruption in Albany, the New York State legislature passed a sweeping raft of voter reforms that will establish the right for 16- and 17-year-olds to preregister to vote, among other critical changes . . . But how will these reforms be implemented and will there be adequate funding to do so?
Question for the high school class of 2019: Are you registered to vote?
Many high school students are hunkered down now, studying for finals, finishing their term papers and planning for graduation and their future. For many, that future seems frightening amid reports of school shootings, climate change and increasing political polarization. They feel they have little to no control over the future of their community, state and nation.
But they do . . .