Victoria Burgess, Emma Martinez, Alex Li

The Albany Youth Council branch of the League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville launched a voter registration drive involving hundreds of students this last election season. The campaign was organized by Albany High School League interns and Youth Council members to encourage their peers to get registered to vote and to learn more about the 2022 elections. Although many of the high school students were not yet 18, the Youth Council emphasized pre-registration for the future California voters so they will be ready once they are eligible to vote.

The Albany Youth Council devised a plan to go into U.S. History and Government classes to educate students and get out the vote. Because all 11th and 12th grade Albany High students are in those classes, the team targeted them to reach the most number of students ages 16 through 18. The Youth Council put together a presentation which provided information about pre-registration and voting in California. After presenting, they passed out pre-registration forms to all of the students in attendance.

All in all, the Albany Youth Council visited 18 classes through partnering with teachers at the high school. They managed to get dozens of high school students pre-registered and registered to vote through their efforts! Albany Youth Council member and Climate Team Intern Victoria Burgess said she was thrilled to have had the experience.

“The campaign was impactful because we showed the student body that their vote will matter and that people of our generation should vote – especially after seeing how dominant older generations are in determining the outcome of elections,” she said.

The 2022 midterm elections showcased startling youth turnout, with the second highest voter turnout of voters under 30 in the past 30 years (Tufts University),  which the Albany Youth Council surely played their part to help with locally.

“What I enjoyed the most was just having the opportunity to communicate how important political engagement truly is,” Voter Service Team Intern Alex Li said. “Your vote really is your power – we have to use it!”

Through showcasing the significance of civic engagement and outreach, these Albany Youth Council members and Interns helped further local youth governmental participation and encouraged the next voting generation to go to the polls!

–Cate Menotti