Civic education should be an ongoing learning experience. It is important to ensure that
our students are learning to become active and engaged participants in our democracy.
It is never too early to motivate our students to get involved. We encourage your school
to participate in High School Voter Education Weeks on April 19–30, 2021, to put our
students on the path to a lifetime of civic engagement and voting.
There are many ways that your students can safely participate regardless of their
school’s current learning model (distance learning, hybrid, in-person, etc.). It is easier now than ever to get sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds civically engaged through pre-
registration. Once pre-registered, they will automatically become active voters on their
eighteenth birthday.
Pre-registration for sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds has been a huge success
in California, with over 650,000 pre-registrations since the program launched in
September 2016.
The Secretary of State’s office can provide resources, and county elections officials
can serve as partners to make it easy for schools to participate.
Here are some ideas and online resources to help you:
• To learn more about pre-registration in California, please visit:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/high-school-
programs/#prereg.
• Encourage eligible students to visit https://registertovote.ca.gov/ to register or
pre-register to vote. Include the link in online communication with parents
and on the school website.
• Urge administrators, students, and parents to visit the Secretary of State’s High
March 30, 2021
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School and Youth Initiatives web page portal, which includes important
information about voter registration and pre-registration, the Student Mock
Election, the Student Poll Worker program, and High School Voter Education
Weeks: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/high-school-programs/.
• Review the High School Voter Education Weeks section of the web portal, which
provides an opportunity for high schools and students to partner with county
elections officials to promote civic education and foster an environment that
cultivates lifelong voters and active citizens.
By working together, we can educate and encourage our young citizens to register to
vote and turn out at the polls to ensure their voices are heard in 2022 and beyond.
If you have any questions about High School Voter Education Weeks or other civic
engagement opportunities, please feel free to contact Paige Kent, Associate
Governmental Program Analyst, Elections Division, California Secretary of State, at
pkent@sos.ca.gov, or Pete Callas, Education Administrator, High School Innovations
and Initiatives Office, California Department of Education, at 916-319-0669 or
pcallas@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Shirley N. Weber, PhD
California Secretary of State
Tony Thurmond
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
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