Research & Advocacy.

School Board Voter Registration & Education Policies

Testify or Write to Your Local School Board - PA Youth Vote is advocating for school boards to pass resolutions and policies that mandate student voter education and registration programs. Find out how to take action in your local school district:

Youth Voices + Youth Votes: School Board Policy Advocacy Guide

Check out the school board resolutions and policies we’ve already gotten passed!

• School District of Philadelphia Student Voter Education and Registration Resolution (passed February 2022) 

• Norristown Area School District NASD Youth Civic Engagement Resolution (passed October 2022)

• Lower Merion School District Policy 153: Student Voter Engagement (passed January 2023)

Ask your PA Representative to pass bills to:

1. Enable preregistration for 16-year-olds

2. Require statewide civics and voter education curriculum

3. Assign a staff “voter champion” at every school to be sure all eligible students may register to vote

4. Promote student-led voter engagement clubs in high schools

5. Develop a civic research and service learning project

6. Provide a Civics Diploma Seal for high school graduates

Read our PA Youth Vote Legislative Policy Brief

Support these bills currently in the PA House of Representatives:

• Improving Youth Voting and Civic Engagement 

• HB 1826 - Amending the Public School Code

• HB 1827- Amending the Election Code
  

Find your legislators and contact them! PAyouth.Vote/FindYourLegislators

PA Youth Vote’s Current Research Project:

PA Youth Vote is initiating research with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and the School District of Philadelphia to inform our advocacy toward policy change. This research is geared to answer questions such as what are teachers and principals doing in Philadelphia to ensure their students are registered and ready to vote? Specifically, how are they educated about the process of voting, the history of voter suppression, and informed about the candidates and/or how to research candidates while navigating misinformation.