SAINT PAUL — Today, Secretary of State Steve Simon announced the launch of Your Vote Matters, a high school voter education program designed to support and help Minnesota civics and government teachers prepare young Minnesotans to vote in the 2015 and 2016 elections.
Your Vote Matters includes a new three-lesson unit for grades 9-12 that teaches students about voting rights, the importance of voting, and how to get ready to vote. The program also includes classroom visits from Secretary Simon, support for school voter registration drives, materials on the Voting Rights Act 50th anniversary, information on how students can become election judge trainees, and other free materials. For more details about the program, click here.
“One of my top priorities as Secretary of State is to increase civic participation among young people in Minnesota, and there is no better place than the classroom to instill those good habits,” said Secretary of State Steve Simon. “I’m committed to helping educators prepare young Minnesotans to vote anyway I can and look forward to working with both schools and students throughout the state to achieve that goal.”
The launch of Your Vote Matters comes on the eve of National Voter Registration Day, a non-partisan voter registration awareness campaign to encourage voter participation and increase awareness about how to register to vote. This is the first year September has officially been declared “Voter Registration Month” and September 22 “Voter Registration Day” in Minnesota.
Tomorrow, on National Voter Registration Day, Secretary Simon will speak to students and educators at Como Park Senior High School in St. Paul about the importance of voting and civic engagement. Como Park Senior High School plans to hold a voter registration drive for students during the lunch hour.
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