Voter drive competition held at SLO County high schools. Which registered most students?
Morro Bay High School students came out on top in a San Luis Obispo County-wide effort to register more high school students to vote.
According to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office, the inaugural countywide High School Voter Registration Competition had a total of 560 students register or pre-register to vote between Sept. 16 and 30.
Held in conjunction with the California Secretary of State’s High School Voter Education Weeks, the competition gave students who were already 18 years old and those who were 16 or 17 the opportunity to register or pre-register to vote, according to the release.
At the end of the competition, 28% of Morro Bay High School’s eligible student body was registered or pre-registered to vote — the best participation rate of any school, according to the Clerk-Recorder’s Office. Other schools participating in the contest included Atascadero, Central Coast New Tech, Nipomo, San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles high schools, according to the release.
The event was held in conjunction with the California Secretary of State’s High School Voter Education Weeks and was co-hosted by the League of Women Voters, which assisted with registration during campus visits, according to the release.
“For awhile now, the League of Women Voters has been doing such great work going into the schools and helping students understand voting and the registration process,” clerk-recorder Elaina Cano said in the release. “This year, we thought it would be great to kick things up a notch by adding the element of competition and encouraging schools to go after the title in whatever way worked best for them.”
Arroyo Grande High School will conduct another voter registration drive with help from the Clerk-Recorder’s Office and the League of Women Voters later this month, Cano said in the release.
For its efforts, Morro Bay’s student body was presented with a $250 check from the League of Women Voters, a plaque and a trophy, which will displayed at Morro Bay High School until the next competition in 2026, according to the release.
County makes free voting signs available
Meanwhile, for voters looking for a new, non-partisan way to encourage their neighbors to participate in the election, the Clerk-Recorder’s Office is offering a new option: Free voting signs.
According to a separate news release from the Clerk-Recorder’s Office, Cano said she was inspired to have the signs made after seeing a similar banner campaign featuring local kids in Marin County.
According to the release, the eight signs include kids from across San Luis Obispo County of various ages and includes the message, “I’m too young to vote. What’s your excuse?”
“’I. Love. This. So. Much!!!!!!!’ was the first text that came back within minutes of our public information officer reaching out to gauge parent interest,” Cano said in the release. “During the lead-up to an election, there are lots of messages out there, generally tied to one perspective or another. We want to remind SLO County residents that we don’t care how you vote, we just want you to vote. And we were happy to hear that others felt the same way.”
A limited number of the signs are available for free to the public and can be picked up at the San Luis Obispo and Atascadero elections offices locations:
- San Luis Obispo Elections Office: 1055 Monterey St., Suite D120, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Atascadero Elections Office: 6565 Capistrano Ave., Second Floor (inside the library), Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In the release, the Clerk-Recorder asked that anyone who might dispose of their sign after Nov. 5 instead bring it back to the office so that it can be reused in future elections.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 12:57 PM.
