Governor announces H.S. voter registration challenge

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced the 2019–2020 Governor’s High School Voter Registration Challenge, in which schools across the Commonwealth will have the opportunity to compete to register the highest percentage of their voting-age population. Schools that reach or exceed 65 percent registration of their eligible senior class will receive a congratulatory certificate from the governor.

Virginia law allows 17-year-olds to register to vote, as long as they will be 18 on or before the next general election. Students born on or before November 3, 2002 who register by Feb. 10 can vote on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

“The earlier you vote, the more likely you are to become a lifelong voter,” said Secretary of Administration Keyanna Conner. “The Governor’s Challenge gives us the opportunity to build on the success of High School Student Registration week and to start encouraging our next generation of voters to get involved in our democracy.”

The Governor’s Challenge was created in 2016 and is a partnership of the Office of the Governor and the Virginia Secretaries of Administration and Education, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Elections, and the League of Women Voters of Virginia.

Schools will get credit for each student who registers to vote using their school’s unique URL via the Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal. For information, contact Betty Cabrera at HSVRChallenge@lwv-va.org.

Voter registration also is available at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and local voter registration offices. The deadline to register to vote, or to update an existing registration for the November 5 General Election, is Oct. 15.