AB 773

Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 773, bill that would have required public high schools to have the opportunity for students to learn about the voting process and register/pre-register to vote, earlier this month. His backing for the decision was that the youth electorate is already improving in terms out turnout. 

However, AB 773 would have allowed for a huge increase in youth voter registration rates. As of November 2019, only 15% of 16- and 17-year olds are pre-registered to vote in California. A way to fix that is to mandate public schools to host voter registration drives and teach their students about the importance of turning out to the polls. 

On the other hand, Governor Newsom signed the Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act. This would require California public colleges to communicate with their students (via email, social media, etc.) about voting and election related material, such as voter registration day, upcoming elections, etc. One person on each campus will be designated as the Civic and Voter Empowerment Coordinator, responsible for developing action plans to boost civic engagement, voter turnout, and build an active community.

What do you guys think about the Student Civic and Voter Empowerment Act? Do you think it does enough to help the youth electorate? Should this act be extended to high schools? 

Source: https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/AB-773-Veto-Message-2019.pdf