School leaders and educators play an important role in preparing students to become informed and engaged participants in democracy. Early exposure to civic education helps build lifelong habits that encourage participation, and schools are key players in conveying civic engagement opportunities.

National High School Voter Education weeks occur twice a year, at the end of April and the end of September. This year, the event takes place Sept. 14-25. This initiative is designed to raise civic awareness among high school students and encourage eligible students ages 16 and 17 to preregister to vote so their registration becomes active when they turn 18, according to a letter from the California Department of Education. “Since California launched its preregistration program in 2016, more than 1.5 million students have preregistered to vote, resulting in more than 1.2 million eligible voters,” the letter states.

Schools are encouraged to further support civic engagement by hosting voter registration and preregistration drives. Under the California Motor Voter program, eligible 16- and 17-year-olds can preregister to vote during a driver’s license or state identification transaction at the California Department of Motor Vehicles. If a student indicates eligibility and does not opt out, their voter information is securely and electronically transmitted to the California Secretary of State. More information can be found at registertovote.ca.gov.

In addition to civic awareness and voter registration drives, the California secretary of state and the state superintendent of public instruction (SSPI) partner each year to hold a Student Mock Election. This year’s event is on Oct. 6.

“This statewide program gives students a hands-on opportunity to experience the importance of elections and the role voting plays in our democracy,” states a Feb. 13 letter from Secretary of State Shirley Weber and SSPI Tony Thurmond. “Through your school’s participation, students learn how government and public policy affect their lives, and after ballots are counted, they can compare their results with students across California.”

Each school that would like to participate should select a mock election coordinator and register their school. The coordinator serves as the school’s primary contact to receive and distribute updates on the mock election to participating teachers and reports the final schoolwide vote tally to the Secretary of State’s Office. Schools can register at sos.ca.gov/elections/studentmockelection.

Resources for a mock election can be found on the same website under “Tools for Success,” and include voting instruction forms, a vote tally spreadsheet, a mock election ballot and a voter information guide, among other resources.

“The Student Mock Election will stir students’ interest in voting by tapping into the excitement of the campaign season,” the website states. “As students learn about the candidates and issues, they discover how government and politics affect every part of their lives. They gain firsthand knowledge of how citizens make their voices heard in our democracy and experience the power of their votes when they are joined by thousands of California students who will vote in the California Student Mock Election this year.”