Secretary of State encourages students to pre-register to vote

OC Registrar of Voters
Each year, local high schools invite field representatives from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office to share information regarding the voting and election processes to students. (Courtesy of the Orange County Registrar of Voters)

Young people have a voice in what their future looks like, and that’s what Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond want students to know as High School Voter Education Weeks approaches.

This year, the initiative takes place between April 17 through April 28 and again in the last two full weeks in September. Its mission is to provide an opportunity for high schools and their students to partner with county election officials to promote civic education and participation on campus and foster an environment that cultivates lifelong voters and active citizens. 

In California, students ages 16 and 17 can pre-register to vote, making them automatically eligible to vote as soon as they turn 18 years old. More than one million students have pre-registered to cast their first ballots since the program launched in 2016.

Students can pre-register to vote on the California Secretary of State Online Voter Registration web page at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.

In collaboration with the state, the Orange County Registrar of Voters office is looking forward to speaking at local high schools to provide young people with information regarding the registration and election process.

If you have any questions about High School Voter Education Weeks or other civic engagement opportunities led by the state, contact Deputy Secretary of State Outreach and Education Jannell Jackson at SoSOutreach@sos.ca.gov or 916-584-3538.