Students across Boulder County are gearing up for an empowering educational initiative as Boulder County Elections partners with local school districts for the 6th annual High School Student Voter Registration Awareness Week, starting April 7th and continuing through the 11th, a push to get high schoolers prepped and registered to vote, with an exciting development that 15-year-olds can now pre-register as reported by Boulder County. This initiative extends beyond Boulder County into Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties, indicating a growing trend of civic engagement among the youth.
During the week and subsequent weeks, schools will be bustling with activities meant to boost civic literacy making voter registration more accessible, convenient by hosting events, leveraging trusted communication channels like school emails and classroom presentations, displaying educational posters, and even setting up registration tables during school hours, "As always, we are thankful to BVSD and SVVSD for their partnership and for letting us reach out directly to their schools and students on the importance of getting registered to vote," Boulder County Clerk & Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick said, as per Boulder County, expressing gratitude and optimism about the initiative's reach and the high likelihood for these efforts to increase youth voter turnout which has been a challenge nationwide.
Highlighting the importance of this initiative, SVVSD Assistant Superintendent of Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction Kahle Charles emphasized the value of educating students on the voting process, noting "Now more than ever, civic engagement is essential," which was echoed by Nicole Rajpal, President of the BVSD Board of Education, who commended the local election offices' role in easing the registration process, especially for students moving away from home, because getting them registered now will likely lead to them voting later; "Voting for the first time can be daunting, especially if you've left home and don't know where to start," she remarked, as obtained by Boulder County, acknowledging the complexities new voters may face.
The event originated in February 2020, targeting 17-year-olds eligible to vote in the March Presidential Primary, leading to a notable turnout of 61% among this age group in Boulder County, significantly higher than the statewide figure of 43%, a move that garnered Boulder County Elections recognition with a U.S. Election Assistance Commission Clearinghouse Award for innovation, in 2021 the week was shifted to April ensuring that graduating seniors were equipped with essential voter registration and voting information according to Boulder County.
