Happy Mother’s Day! 2020 Edition: Calling all moms.
A lot of lofty generalizations float around on Mother’s Day. One generalization that is often ignored is that moms perform a lot of unpaid labor at home and at work and solve problems that result from a lack of public planning. I know a lot of moms now who, when they are not worried about health and the economy, are worried about our democracy.
In Arizona’s most populous county, youth voter registration rates are on the rise, but progress is uneven among school districts, and there is still a long way to go.
Voter registration rates for 17- and 18-year-olds in Maricopa County, Arizona have increased by nearly 50% (from about 21,000 to about 31,000) between August 2019 and April 2020. With the general election just six months away, however, and the challenges of COVID-19, there is still a long way to go.
Meet The Civics Center’s inaugural class of Youth Fellows!
The Civics Center is excited to announce its inaugural class of Youth Fellows! This cohort of eleven high school students will be taking on projects aimed at improving youth civic engagement and voter participation through 2020.
Governor Sununu: Don’t Make New Hampshire Choose Between Health and Voting
New Hampshire is the only state in the United States that requires its citizens to register to vote and update existing registrations in person.
Increasing Youth Voter Turnout in Pima County, Arizona Means First Increasing Youth Voter Registration
Recent reports have called attention to low youth voter turnout in the 2020 presidential primaries. If this trend continues in the general election in November, look to low youth voter registration rates as a driving factor. In Arizona, for example, 17-year-olds can register to vote if they will be 18 by the date of the general election. This creates a great opportunity for high school students to register to vote before they graduate, but the law is underused.
Let’s get high schoolers voting (New York Daily News)
Read Director Laura W. Brill’s response to the New York Daily News’s March 3 op-ed “A Wish for Super Tuesday” regarding youth voter registration and turnout.
California's latest preregistration numbers: On the rise, but still very low.
California’s voter preregistration numbers are out. They are on the rise, but we still have a long way to go. Read our commentary in Cal Matters, and check out our county-by-county breakdown, below.
Arizona’s Low Voter Pre-Registration Numbers
According to The Civics Center’s analysis, only approximately 2,527 of 17-year-olds in Arizona have taken advantage of the early registration law as of mid-2019. That represents just about 2.69% of the 17-year-olds in the state.
Don’t Blame Gen-Z. It’s the Registration Gap.
A false narrative circulating for years proclaims that young people don’t vote. As a result, campaigns limit their outreach to young voters, young voters feel less connected to the national debate, and government is less responsive to issues that disproportionately affect young voters. Even organizations focused on increasing voter participation mobilize fewer resources to get out the vote campaigns targeting young voters.
Pop Quiz Number 2: High School Voter Registration 101
I know most high schools don’t teach how and when to register to vote. That is no excuse. You still have to take the quiz. When you’re done, calculate your score using the answers below. If you didn’t get 100%, don’t blame yourself. Like I said, most schools don’t teach this stuff.
Introducing the 1,000 Schools Challenge and Ready to Vote Coalition
I’m thrilled to introduce The Civics Center’s 1,000 Schools Challenge, undertaken with the newly formed Ready to Vote Coalition. The goal of the Challenge is to support youth-led voter registration efforts in 1,000 schools around the country. The Ready to Vote Coalition includes national, state and local groups, listed below, who recognize and value the goal of improving civic engagement in high school.
This is not a mock election
Today, as we recognize the great civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., our general election on November 3, 2020 is less than 300 days away. A friend asked recently whether young people will turn out to vote. My answer has become routine: the most common reason young people give for not voting is that they are not registered.
Our beautiful yellow map
There are many different kinds of maps. Some show the present, like where the roads and rivers are. Some show past events, like the red / blue maps of an election night, proclaiming the count of votes already cast. There are other maps that show the future. They tell us about opportunity instead of objects or outcomes.
One lawyer's quest to teach America's high schoolers about the democratic process (Daily Journal)
Director of The Civics Center Laura W. Brill addresses the need for improvements to high school voter registration and civic engagement efforts in the December 24, 2019, Daily Journal.
Students in North Carolina Take Advantage Of Voter Preregistration Law
As reported by a new analysis released today by The Civics Center, as of August 2019, an estimated 39% of 16- and 17-year-olds in the state were pre-registered to vote. North Carolina’s pre-registration rate exceeded the rates of many other states with similar laws.
Pop Quiz: High School Voter Registration 101
It’s officially finals season. That means it’s time to take our first ever pop quiz to find out if you’ll be ready to help young people vote in 2020. If you don’t know the answers, don’t be surprised. One thing we’ve learned this year at The Civics Center is that the opportunities for high school voter registration are among the best kept secrets in the country.
New York’s Preregistration Law Goes Into Effect January 1. Counties are not paying attention, but students will.
The issue of low rates of voter registration among young people will be mitigated by allowing preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds, who would then be automatically registered by the time they were 18. These voter reforms have enormous potential but, as always, implementation will be crucial to determining their effect.
California’s Preregistration Rate Is Up, But We Still Have A Long Way To Go
A recent report issued by the California Secretary of State shows a significant statewide increase in the number of 16- and 17-year-olds preregistered to vote. Between October 22, 2018 and October 1, 2019, most of California’s 20 largest counties experienced increases in preregistration rates.
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.