This week the City of San Diego launched the Shirley N. Weber Voter Registration Challenge with the goal of encouraging young people to become more engaged in their communities and more aware of their civic responsibility.  

The City’s Office of Child and Youth Success and the Office of the City Clerk are hosting the challenge through the month of April. City staff will share resources and promotional materials with local high schools that are participating, to encourage students to register to vote.

At the end of the Voter Registration Challenge, California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber and Mayor Todd Gloria will recognize the top school during an awards ceremony, along with a special visit by radio and television personality Geena the Latina.

“We want to do our part to empower San Diego youth to actively participate in democracy,” said City Clerk Diana Fuentes. “Especially as we see a decline in voter registration, it is crucial that everyone connected to local youth help to amplify the importance of voting and ignite a movement where every voice and vote counts."

“Youth empowerment is a focus area that has come up over and over during conversations with youth while developing the City’s first-ever Child and Youth Strategic Plan.” said Andrea O’Hara, Executive Director of the Office of Child and Youth Success. “Partnering with the City Clerk’s Office to promote the Secretary of State’s initiative and supporting our local high school students with the resources needed to pre-register aligns perfectly with our strategic goal of empowering youth to take charge of their future.” 

In addition to registering students ages 18 and older to vote, schools can encourage eligible students ages 16 and 17 to pre-register, which will allow them to automatically become registered voters when they turn 18. More than one million students have pre-registered to vote since the State of California launched the pre-registration program in 2016.

So far, 19 high schools have signed up for the City of San Diego’s Voter Registration Challenge, which runs through April 30. The event also coincides with the California High School Voter Education Weeks during the last two weeks of April.