OLYMPIA – On Friday, Jan. 16, Washington public schools observe Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, a day dedicated to encouraging young people to get civically engaged and registered to vote.
The Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) partner to emphasize the importance of voter registration for students. The Future Voter Program supports this 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 can be found on the OSOS Elections website.
In addition to providing students opportunities to register to vote during class, educators can utilize 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.
“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. “Registering to vote early is a step toward developing healthy civic habits and becoming a lifelong voter.”
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Secretary of State oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime and the Civic Engagement Program to increase governmental trust and participation for all Washingtonians