High school students in the South Bay are the latest target for voter registration.
The Sweetwater Union High School District has launched a campus campaign aimed at getting more eligible teenagers to participate in the 2024 elections.
Associated Student Body (ASB) volunteers have joined the League of Women Voters and the County Registrar in signing up more first-time voters.
At Chula Vista High School, Thursday, 18-year-olds could register, and pre-registration was available for 16- and 17-year-olds.
“We’re youth. We’re the future. If we neglect our youth, if we don’t participate, we’re going to end up with laws that don’t reflect the kind of people we are," said Izayah Ringfield, a junior at Chula Vista High and the district's student school board trustee.
Ringfield came up with the idea to lead a comprehensive effort last fall because of his interest in politics and the climate of attacks on democracy.
He is determined to get the attention of his classmates.
“Relating to them (is important), like me coming up to you instead of like a 60-year-old person you’ve never met coming up to you and telling you to vote. I think is huge," he said.
The lunchtime student voter registration campaign continues through early May with events scheduled at each of the Sweetwater District high school campuses.
