By Eleanor Love, News and Sports Editor
16 or 17? Pre-register to vote.
Californians who are 16 or 17 years old can pre-register to vote by filling out the Secretary of State’s online form or by completing a paper form found at county elections offices and DMVs.
While pre-registration doesn’t change the voting age, it enables teenagers to complete the registration application early so they’re completely ready to vote. Once they turn 18 their registration will become immediately active and a postcard will be sent to their address confirming their registration status.
Pre-registration makes teenagers more engaged and likely to vote. Harvard’s Shorenstein Center reports that the probability that youth will vote increases by up to 13 percent in states with pre-registration laws.
California first began allowing 16-and 17-year olds to register to vote early in the fall of 2016. Since then, over 500,000 teenagers have done so. In addition to California, fourteen other states and the District of Columbia allow the program.
California Education Code also designates the last two complete weeks of April and September as High School Voter Education Weeks. This fall they will take place from September 13 to 24, 2021. During those weeks local school districts, the Secretary of State, and voting rights organizations will promote pre-registration, registration, and voting activities.
Additional information is available online at the California Secretary of State.