Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024: National Voter Registration Day. According to nationalvoterregistrationday.org, across the nation, over 5500 partners, such as public libraries, college campuses, individuals who canvass, and many more, participated in helping American citizens get registered to vote. Since 2012, over five million voters have registered during National Voter Registration Day, with 1.5 million of those being in 2020 alone. On National Voter Registration Day in 2024, the League of Women Voters came to Berkeley High School in partnership with the BHS Civic Leaders club to help students 16 and 17 get pre-registered to vote. Registration promised entrance into a raffle for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
The BHS Civic Leaders club was started in early August of this year. Eva Levenson, Jules Droz, Alexandra Jameson, Clio Wachtel, and Winta Clark are the current leadership team for the club.
“The goal of the club is to inform young people about the decisions they are making politically, and civically in general, because there’s a lot of people who have a lot of opinions, and they like to share them, but they don’t necessarily know that they can actually vote on these topics that they’re talking about,” said Clio Wachtel, a BHS junior and media director for the BHS Civic Leaders club.
Anyone 16 and 17 years old can pre-register to vote through registertovote.ca.gov as well as register to vote in the upcoming school board election as a youth voter. Measure Y1, which allows students 16 and 17 years old in Berkeley to vote for school board members, was originally passed in 2016 but only implemented this past August. The measure was approved by over 70 percent of voters.
In Oakland, a similar measure was passed. Oakland Unified School District Board of Education President Sam Davis said, “Lowering the voting age to 16 ensures that (students’) perspectives are represented in the democratic process and will compel local politicians to address their concerns.” This year is the first year that students in Oakland and Berkeley under 18 have been allowed to vote in their school board elections.
“(The Civic Leaders club) wants to get as many young people to register to vote as possible,” Wachtel said. “And also get the chance to vote in our school board (election). It’s a great opportunity to get to vote this year, it’s them trusting us with something like this. It’s a big deal, so I hope that as many people can take advantage of it as possible.”
The Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education, or School Board, consists of five elected officials who represent the city and its voice in education, as well as (according to the berkeleyschools.net website) “(evaluate) the superintendent; adopting policies, curriculum, and the district’s budget; overseeing the maintenance and development of facilities in the district; and negotiating and adopting collective bargaining agreements with the district’s four unions.” The BUSD School Board meets bimonthly on Wednesday evenings. Board member elections are staggered, with two being elected in presidential election years, and three in midterm election years.
“Up to this point, our efforts have focused on educating and engaging students about the significance of their vote and the impact it can have,” said BHS senior Winta Clark, the school board coordinator for the BHS Civic Leaders club, and the student school board representative.
“To me, voting is a privilege that countless people have fought hard to secure for us. As a young Black woman, I am acutely aware of the historical barriers that once denied people like me equal civil rights,” Clark said, “Voting is a crucial part of ensuring that our system remains equitable. Offering voting opportunities to young people is truly significant because it empowers us with a voice and provides early exposure to how politics and the system function.”