Pop Quiz: High School Voter Registration 101

It’s officially finals season. That means it’s time to take our first ever pop quiz to find out if you’ll be ready to help young people vote in 2020.

If you don’t know the answers, don’t be surprised.  One thing we’ve learned this year at The Civics Center is that the opportunities for high school voter registration are among the best kept secrets in the country.

1. How many states have enacted legislation allowing young people to preregister to vote at age 16.  Hint: Washington DC is not a state.

(a) 5

(b) 8

(c) 11

(d) 14

(e) 17

2. How many states allow young people to preregister to vote for the first time when they turn 17?

(a) 1

(b) 2

(c) 3

(d) 4

(e) 5

3. Imagine that your birthday is February 2, 2002, and you are eligible to register to vote as soon as you meet the state’s age requirement.  If you live in Michigan, can you register to vote on your birthday in 2020?

(a) Yes

(b) No

4. Same question, but you live in Virginia:

(a) Yes

(b) No

5. How many high school seniors are there in the United States today?

(a) Less than 1 million

(b) 1-2 million

(c) 2-3.5 million

(d) More than 3.5 million

Answers:

1. (d)

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation to allow students to preregister at 16.  These states are California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington.  New York’s law goes into effect on January 1, 2020.

2. (e)

Five states allow young people to preregister for the first time when they turn 17.  These states are Iowa, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia. 

3. (b)

Michigan does not allow young people to preregister to vote until they turn 17.5. But that is better than Texas.  In Texas, young people cannot preregister until they turn 17 and 10 months. The good news for Michigan is that even with preregistration starting at 17.5, most high school seniors will still be eligible to register before they graduate.  Other states where students can register for the first time when they turn 17.5 are Georgia, Missouri, and Oklahoma. So, most high school seniors in those states should also be able to register before the end of the school year. 

4. (a)

Virginia allows young people to register if they will be 18 by November 3, 2020.  Young people who will be 18 by November 2020 can also register in the following states.  Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming.  Combining these states with those listed in the answers to 1-3 above gets us 38 states!!

5. (d)

There are more than 3.5 million high school seniors in the United States.  And, if you were paying attention, you understand that the vast majority of them can register to vote right now!!!

So let’s get to work.  

Please make a contribution here so we can provide materials and workshops for high schools.  

Please post on social media and forward to a friend so others will appreciate the opportunities.

Please let high school students know about our workshops.

Please check out this map, which will blow your mind.

Opportunities for high school voter registration (2020)

In 34 states (yellow), students can preregister at least as early as age 17 or if they will be 18 by Nov. 3, 2020. Students can also register to vote at 17 ½ in 4 states (muted yellow). In 12 states (grey), age requirements are more restrictive or more variable. North Dakota does not require voter registration.