Morro Bay High School Earns SLO County Voter Registration Championship

Author: Erin Clausen
Date: 10/7/2024 11:30 AM

The SLO County Elections Office and the League of Women Voters partnered to hold a countywide voter registration and pre-registration competition among area schools from September 16-30, 2024. When all reports were in and registrations were confirmed, Morro Bay High School emerged as the inaugural champion of this friendly (but important) challenge.

The County of San Luis Obispo Clerk-Recorder's Office and the League of Women Voters (LWVSLO) announced today that Morro Bay High School claimed the title in the inaugural countywide High School Voter Registration Competition, which ran September 16-30, 2024, in conjunction with the California Secretary of State's High School Voter Education Weeks. The goal of the friendly competition was to see which local high school could register-or pre-register-the highest percentage of eligible students.

Morro Bay High School emerged victorious after it was confirmed that they registered 28 percent of eligible students. School enrollment data was used by the Clerk-Recorder's Office to calculate the rate of participation among students 16+ and determine the winner. In all, 560 students countywide were registered or pre-registered as part of the competition.

Participating schools had two weeks to encourage and facilitate voter registration among students who are already 18 years old or pre-registration among students who are 16 or 17. Schools could invite representatives from the LWVSLO to visit campus to assist with registration and/or they could encourage registration through lunchtime activities or classroom initiatives. Many chose to work with the LWVSLO volunteers during the competition, knowing that the League has extensive experience conducting campus visits and educating students about the importance of voting as well as how to register and how to cast their vote.

"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," said Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Elaina Cano. "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."

Besides Morro Bay High School, participants included Atascadero High School, Central Coast New Tech High School, Nipomo High School, San Luis Obispo High School, and Paso Robles High School.

"It was really exciting to see such an enthusiastic response from our schools," said Cano, who noted that Arroyo Grande High School will be conducting a voter registration drive with support from her office and the LWVSLO later this month, which will add even more to the total number of local students registered this fall. "From the superintendents to administrators, faculty, and students-everyone was great about jumping in and creating what we expect to be a permanent feature of election season in SLO County."

Cano and former SLO County Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald paid a surprise visit to MBHS campus today to present the winners with a perpetual trophy, a glass plaque, and a check from the League of Women Voters. The Clerk-Recorder's Office says that the trophy will reside with MBHS until the next competition in 2026.

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