Voting age drops to 16 in these Bay Area cities for school board election, among first in nation

In California, teens as young as 16 can pre-register to vote. In order for those in Berkeley and Oakland to be eligible to vote in their school board election, they must use that pre-registration system to register to vote as a “youth voter.” Any student who is already pre-registered in Oakland or Berkeley will automatically be enrolled as a “youth voter.” Online registration will be open until Oct. 21 for all youth voters for the November election, although youth voters can still register in person after that date.

Eligible teens will be mailed voter information guides on Sept. 26 and ballots the week of Oct. 7. While Ford Morthel is unsure of how many students will show up to vote in November’s election, she wants to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote can, which started for her by notifying parents.

Sam Davis, board president of Oakland Unified, said that while he doesn’t expect “thousands and thousands” of students to vote, he believes that 16 and 17 is a great age to become a voter and engaged in the civics process. Unlike 18-year-olds, younger teens are typically not dealing with the stress of moving out and beginning college.

“They’re still in high school. They’re in civics classes. They’re learning about government, and it’s a great time to motivate them to register,” Davis said. “Even if it’s a small number, it’s that many more that will keep their voter registration through that big transition into adulthood.”




https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/students-voting-school-boards-berkeley-oakland-19626263.php