Not Old Enough to Vote? State Kids Involved in Mock Election
In an effort to get more young people excited about voting the Office of the Secretary of State is calling on students and teachers across Washington to take part in the 2021 Student Mock Election.
THE ELECTION IS NOW OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 2
The election is open until November 2. In the mock election students vote on actual races and measures - including fictional issues important to their lives. The hope is that more young people will want to become voters when they become 18-years-old. In fact in 2019 the Washington State Legislature approved the legislation that allows 16- and 17-year-old Washington citizens to sign up as “future voters” and be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18.
THE HOPE IS THAT MORE KIDS WILL BE REGISTERED VOTERS
“The Student Mock Election is a fun and engaging way for students to learn about elections and become more informed and involved citizens,” said Lori Augino, director of elections, Office of the Secretary of State. “Initiatives like the Student Mock Election and the Future Voter program help empower young people to make civic engagement a lifelong habit.”
MOTOR VOTER LAW NOT THE ANSWER
Yakima County Auditor Charles Ross says the state motor voter law isn’t helping to increase voter participation even though that was the intent of the law. Ross says all the automatic voter registration does is add more registered voters to the list but doesn’t increase participation. It actually dilutes the participation number since the more registered voters who don’t vote grows the actual participation number shrinks.
The law allows for automatic voter registration when renewing a drivers license unless a person opts out.