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OLYMPIA — On Friday, Jan. 16, Washington public schools observed Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, a day dedicated to encouraging youth to get civically engaged and registered to vote.
The Offices of the Secretary of State and Superintendent of Public Instruction partner to emphasize the importance of voter registration for students, according to an OSOS news release. The Future Voter Program supports their goal, allowing 16- and 17-year-old Washingtonians to sign up and be automatically registered to vote when they become eligible.
Eligible future voters can register at VoteWA.gov with a Washington driver’s license, permit, state ID or Social Security number. More information about voter registration and additional registration methods are on the OSOS Elections webpage.
Besides providing students opportunities to register to vote during class, educators can use the comprehensive civic education materials OSOS and OSPI provide for K-12 classes. These resources, available on the official Temperance and Good Citizenship Day websites hosted by OSOS and OSPI, include lesson plans on the voting process and the impact of civic participation.
OSOS’s website URL is sos.wa.gov, OSPI’s ospi. k12.wa.us.
“The Future Voter program gives students a great opportunity to set themselves up to vote as soon as they’re eligible,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in the news release. “Registering to vote early is a step toward developing healthy civic habits and becoming a lifelong voter.”
