Austin American Statesman/Texas Tribune: Most Texans age 18 not registered to vote despite state law requiring high schools to help

Austin American Statesman/Texas Tribune: Most Texans age 18 not registered to vote despite state law requiring high schools to help

Katya Ehresman, voting rights program manager at Common Cause Texas, noted that some states reward schools that register students. For example, Tennessee acknowledges schools that reach a certain voter registration threshold, and Pennsylvania has a governor’s civic engagement award to celebrate schools that register 85% of eligible students to vote. Common Cause also recommends that the secretary of state’s office mail each school voter registration applications, instead of requiring schools to request them twice a year. Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, introduced legislation in 2021 that would require the secretary of state to mail the applications directly to all high schools, but the bill never got a hearing before the House Elections Committee.