Preregistration Is Taking Hold in California, and We Still Have a Long Way to Go

The California Secretary of State recently published the state’s youth voter preregistration statistics as of September 2020.  Although school closures and the cancellation of summer events have led to a short-term decline in preregistration numbers, the long-term picture appears brighter.

As of September 2020, more than 125,000 (or 12%) 16- and 17-year-olds in California were preregistered to vote.  This represents a 9% decline in the number of students preregistered since October 2019. Monterey County experienced the largest percentage decline in this period, with the number of preregistered students falling by 37%. Other counties that experienced declines of greater than 25% since October of last year include San Bernardino, Tulare, Stanislaus, and Santa Barbara. San Mateo County had the smallest decline, with a 10% decrease in the number of students preregistered since last year. 

Los Angeles, the largest county both in California and in the nation, had a 21% decline in the number of students preregistered during this period.  Based on this measure, Los Angeles performed better than other large Southern California counties like Orange, San Bernardino, and Santa Barbara, but not as well as Ventura, San Diego, and Riverside Counties. 

Despite the seriousness of the statewide decline in preregistration, the positive news is that California voter preregistration rates are up significantly compared to September 2018. Over the past two years, California has had a 29% increase in the number of students preregistered. This significant increase points to a larger trend: growing youth participation in civic engagement. Registration rates overall are also higher in California than they were in October of last year, increasing from 81% to 85%.

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia allow young people to preregister to vote beginning at age 16.  These laws have the potential to transform youth political participation because they offer high school students two years to learn about voting and organize their peers to register before their first election.  

For California residents who will be 18 by November 3 and who wish to vote in the upcoming election, the online voter registration deadline is October 19.  It takes about two minutes to register or preregister to vote.  The opportunity to promote democracy in California is just one click away.  www.thecivicscenter.org/register!  After October 19, Californians can conditionally register to vote and cast a provisional ballot at your polling place or vote center.