Designation serves to raise awareness that youth who will turn 18-years-old by Nov. 3 can vote in primary elections this year

Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County Elections is excited to announce February 3-7 as “Student Voter Registration Awareness Week” in partnership with the St. Vrain and Boulder Valley School Districts.

The effort aims to educate high school students in these school districts about the 2020 elections and their options to participate. In 2020, Colorado voters can participate in up to three elections: The March 3 Presidential Primary, the June 30 Statewide Primary, and the November 3 General Election. A recent change in state laws allows youth who will turn 18-years-old by the November 3 General Election to participate in both primaries.

“My office was proud to support the provision in the 2019 Colorado Votes Act that allows 17-year-olds to participate in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election,” stated Boulder County Clerk & Recorder Molly Fitzpatrick. “The vast majority of current high school seniors will turn 18-years-old by November 3 this fall, making them eligible to vote now. However, from conversations with community members during our fall election outreach, we were finding that this new law was mostly unknown. To help raise awareness with students, parents, and the general public, we reached out to both BVSD and SVVSD and proposed designating a Student Voter Registration Awareness week to help educate our youth and our community about the change in law and to promote getting all our eligible students registered.”

During Student Voter Registration Awareness Week and beyond, schools are asked to promote voter registration and provide voting information by:

• Designating a “Voter Registration Liaison” – who will be trained in voter registration basics and act as an information source for all voter registration and election questions
• Promoting voter registration by making voter registration accessible and convenient and/or by holding voter registration events
• Displaying educational posters (Boulder-Weld and Boulder-Broomfield versions also available) and flyers provided by Boulder County Elections with registration information
• Leveraging formal and trusted communication channels for voter registration information – including school emails, loudspeaker announcements, and classroom presentations
• Inviting Boulder County Elections to present during class or at an assembly

“High School students will be our democracy’s newest voters, and we have a role to play in ensuring the process is as accessible as possible to these voters,” reports Clerk Fitzpatrick. “By providing the school districts with the information, supplies, and resources students need to participate, we hope to create a culture of voter awareness and participation that students will carry with them for life. The partnership between our office and the school districts demonstrates our community’s investment in preparing the next generation of voters.”

To view the resolutions adopted by the school districts and for more information on Boulder County’s “I’m a Voter Program” visit https://boco.org/HighSchoolVoterRegistration.

Voters who need to register to vote or check the status of their party registration, mailing address, or other information should visit www.GoVoteColorado.gov. For more information about the Presidential Primary Election, visit www.BoulderCountyVotes.org or call 303-413-7740.