High school receives state honors for voter registration achievement

Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Robert Torres recently honored Governor Mifflin High School students for efforts that led to voter registration of nearly 90 percent of the school’s eligible students.

“The Governor’s Civic Engagement Award recognizes young leaders for their commitment to educating and engaging their classmates in the electoral process,” Torres said. “Their enthusiasm is inspiring and contagious.”

The award is a cooperative effort by the Departments of Education and State, in collaboration with Inspire U.S., a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to transform young leaders’ inspiration into action. The program offers resources and guidance for student leaders as they educate their peers regarding the electoral process and the importance of civic engagement.

Qualification for the award is measured by the percentage of voter registrations among a school’s eligible student population. Students may register to vote if they are 18 years of age or will turn 18 on or before the date of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

Schools that attain 85 percent voter registration among their eligible student population will qualify for the Gold Level award, while those that register 65 percent will be honored with the Silver Level award. Governor Mifflin High School achieved 89-percent registration of eligible students.

The Governor’s Civic Engagement Award was instituted at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. Since then, 15 schools have qualified for the award.

High schools can sign up directly with Inspire U.S., which will support student leaders as they coordinate peer-to-peer voter registration drives and efforts to get out the vote. Inspire U.S. also assists with materials and data management, and in organizing school celebrations and recognition events.

More information about the award is available on the Department of State website.

For more information on voter registration, please call the Department of State’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-8683772) or visit votesPA.com.

Printer-friendly Pennsylvania voter education materials can be found on the Department of State’s votespa.com website.