SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The San Luis Obispo County Elections Office has launched its second countywide High School Voter Registration Competition, giving local high schools five weeks to encourage eligible students to register or pre-register to vote.
The competition runs through Oct. 19, the deadline for regular voter registration for the Nov. 3 General Election. The effort coincides with California’s High School Voter Education Weeks, which take place during the last two full weeks of September.
California allows eligible students ages 16 and 17 to pre-register to vote. Their registration becomes active when they turn 18, provided they meet the eligibility requirements.
The county will determine the winning school by comparing the number of registrations collected during the competition with each school’s enrollment of students age 16 and older. Using a percentage allows schools of different sizes to compete based on the proportion of eligible students who are registered.
Morro Bay High School won the inaugural competition in 2024, and the traveling trophy will remain at the winning school until the 2026 winner is announced and the trophy is engraved later this year.
Students participating in the county’s Student Elections Ambassador Program are helping lead registration efforts at their campuses. At Central Coast New Tech High School, student ambassador Daniel Rogness recently hosted a registration table, while student ambassadors at Nipomo High School are planning classroom presentations and activities.
Students and staff do not need to participate in the ambassador program to take part in the competition.
“Our ambassadors are spearheading participation in the competition, but any high school student or staff member can jump in on this,” said Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. “All they need to do is help their students to get pre-registered or registered during the five week window, and they can do that with paper registration cards or by showing students how easy it is to use the Secretary of State’s online registration site.”
Participating schools can submit completed paper registration cards to the Elections Office or provide information about online registrations. The Elections Office will verify the registrations and calculate the winner using enrollment data from the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education and individual school districts.
The League of Women Voters is also offering members to lead classroom presentations about voting and registration during the competition. Representatives can also assist with on-site registration and submit completed registrations to the Elections Office on behalf of schools.
More information is available through slovote.gov and the California Secretary of State’s high school voter programs.