El Paso - State Sen. José Rodríguez, in conjunction with the Ysleta Independent School District, will launch a voter registration and engagement project beginning Sept. 28 at each of its high schools. The goal is to educate students on the importance of voting as a bedrock right and responsibility, and to provide them the opportunity to register on the spot.
YISD and Sen. Rodríguez’s Youth Advisory Committee will work together to provide special voter registration presentations during the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 2 at seven comprehensive high schools and three special campuses. There are nearly 1,200 YISD students who will be 18 years of age by Election Day.
“Voter turnout in El Paso is well below average, with only nine percent of eligible voters having voted this past May,” Sen. Rodríguez said. “If we can educate young adults on the importance of voting, we will increase voter turnout while building the foundation for future civic engagement. It would be wonderful for El Paso to set the model that can be followed by schools across the state, while increasing participation in our community."
Studies show that voting becomes a habit, particularly if one begins at an early age. Further, young people can often educate their family members on civic practices, thereby widening the circle of voter engagement.
At the high school presentations, Sen. Rodríguez’s Youth Advisory Committee will provide a 40-minute non-partisan lesson to teach students the basics of voting. Voter registration cards will be distributed and collected by a Voter Deputy Registrar who has been authorized and trained on voter registration procedures.
YISD is the first district to put the project in motion, but other area districts have indicated they will participate. Those include the El Paso Independent School District, the Canutillo Independent School District, the Tornillo Independent School District, and the Fabens Independent School District.
YISD’s high school voter registration drive takes place on the heels of National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 22, which utilizes volunteers, celebrities, and various organizations to ensure no one who is eligible to register to vote in the November election gets left out. In 2008, officials say six million Americans did not vote because they missed a registration deadline, or did not know how to register.
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José Rodríguez represents Texas Senate District 29, which includes the counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, and Presidio. He represents both urban and rural constituencies, and more than 350 miles of the Texas-Mexico border. Senator Rodríguez currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Hispanic Caucus, and is a member of the Senate Committees on Education; Health and Human Services; Veteran Affairs and Military Installations; Nominations; and Agriculture, Water, and Rural Affairs.