How you can help register young voters: The "Cap, Gown, and Ballot" Initiative
One contact can lead to hundreds of new voters.
Four million Americans turn 18 every year, but only about 30% of them are registered to vote. Yet when they do register, very high percentages turn out to vote. For example, in 2020, 86% of registered 18- to 24-year-olds turned out to vote - comparable with every other age group.
The nonpartisan group, The Civics Center has begun its annual Cap, Gown, and Ballot initiative, which coordinates student-led nonpartisan high school voter registration efforts with graduation activities. The Civics Center is partnering with Third Act to promote Cap, Gown and Ballot in schools in New York counties where young people can have the greatest electoral significance, including Nassau, Suffolk, Broome, Tompkins, and Onondaga counties. The largest cities in these counties are
Nassau: Hempstead, Levittown, Hicksville, Freeport, Valley Stream;
Suffolk: Islip, Huntington, Brentwood, West Babylon, Coram;
Broome: Binghamton, Vestal, Johnson City, Endicott, Endwell;
Tompkins: Ithaca, Dryden, Lansing, South Hill, Cayuga Heights;
Onondaga: Syracuse, Clay, Salina, Cicero, Dewitt.
There are over 160 high schools in the counties and we are trying to introduce Cap, Gown, and Ballot to as many of them as possible.
Many of you are from New York, but even if you’re not, I’ll bet you know at least a few people from the state. If you, or someone you know, have personal contacts in a high school in one of these five counties, please email us (Peter: pjanovsky@me.com, or Janet: janetpenn559@gmail.com). We'd be happy to coach you on how to approach your contact. We're especially interested in talking with civics and social studies teachers, but making personal introductions to administrators, students, other faculty, parents, school board members, community leaders, or friends and family with strong networks will also be helpful. Or if you prefer, feel free to make an email introduction to one of us. Whatever you decide, know that one phone call or email from you has the potential to lead to registering hundreds of students!
Finally, if you’re from another state, please let us know if you would like to help initiate a Cap, Gown, and Ballot program in your state or county.
Here is The Civics Center’s 2-page overview. You can learn more on their website at thecivicscenter.org. Following them and sharing their posts on Instagram, Threads, or Substack also helps. Know that with a small amount of effort, you can have an oversized impact!