April 1-5 marks the fifth anniversary of Boulder County’s High School Student Voter Registration Awareness Week.
During this week, Boulder County Elections promotes voter registration and pre-registration among high school students in the Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts. Students as young as 16 can pre-register to vote.
“It is hard to believe it has been five years since we launched this initiative,” stated Boulder County Clerk & Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick. “BVSD and SVVSD administration have been excellent partners supporting our efforts to identify and cultivate staff members at various high schools throughout our county to become our valued voter registration liaisons. These liaisons are then trained to help students get registered and excited about voting. Colorado, and Boulder County in particular, has higher than average youth voter turnout and I credit our partnership with our schools as an instrumental part of that equation.”
The districts participate by making registration accessible and convenient, displaying educational flyers, sending out information via email, making announcements and holding presentations and hosting a registration table during school hours.
The event was launched in 2020, ahead of the presidential election. The effort led to a 61% turnout in the March Presidential Primary in Boulder County which was higher than the 43% turnout for the rest of the state for 17-year-old voters.
“Cultivating civic engagement and the importance of voting are essential values we must instill in our students as they age into adulthood,” said Kahle Charles, SVVSD Assistant Superintendent of Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction. “Our collaboration with Boulder County Elections makes it easier to have them prepared and enthusiastic to cast their first ballot when the time comes."
