As 2020 election approaches, more states let teens preregister to vote at school
TALLAHASEE, Fla. – Madeline Feiock had a good reason to skip school.
The 18-year-old presented her idea to devote two school days to pre-voter registration to the Florida School Board Association on a recent Thursday. If the school board group or the Florida Association of District School Superintendents signs on, districts will easily be able to adopt her proposal.
As the 2020 presidential election approaches, who young Americans will vote for – and whether they will vote at all – will play a big role in the outcome. American teens who will be 18 by Election Day can preregister to vote, with 14 states, including Florida, and the District of Columbia specifically allowing teens to preregister once they turn 16, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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Some states are working to let students preregister right from their schools.
In California, the last two full weeks in April and September are designated as High School Voter Education Weeks. During these weeks, schools are encouraged to partner with county elections officials to get young people engaged in the voting process.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously passed a resolution in September to distribute voter registration cards to all high school seniors, and the city hosted a contest where schools that hosted voter registration drives could win a performance at the school by pop artist Billie Eilish.
In Florida, Feiock's voter-registration resolution was passed unanimously in September by her local school board in Leon County. The high school senior had come up with the idea to fulfill a Student Government Association project at Leon High School.
She noticed a need for a uniform system in the county making it easier for students to register to vote, and the project began to gather momentum from there. Feiock reached out to Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley and put together a presentation for the school board.
Backstory: Leon High student amplifies 'youth vote' with district-wide voter registration drives
The Leon County registration drives will coincide with the National Voter Registration Day in September, and the Tuesday following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in January of each school year, according to the resolution.
"I'm so excited," Feiock said. "I can't believe it's actually gotten this far."
She said she preregistered to vote online when she was 16 and recently received her voter registration card.
"It's wonderful to see teens empower their peers," Leon High Principal Billy Epting said.
If a person starts voting when they're young, they're more likely to vote in the future, he added.
Leon Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna also congratulated Feiock for her idea potentially gaining statewide traction.
"We're here for our students and I've always valued their initiative," he said. "I'm very proud of her."
Feiock said she hopes other Florida counties adopt her resolution, so teens can "take the first step toward voting."
And, yes – Feiock's absence to present to the state association was excused.
Election 2020: Catch up on the news and make an informed decision
USA TODAY's Kristin Lam contributed.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 2020 presidential election, voting age: Preregister to vote at school
