If you couldn’t guess, we love it when young people vote. That’s kinda our thing. So when we heard that a proposed bill in California would let 16-year-olds pre-register to vote, we were like “awwwww, yeah!”
Enter state Senate Bill 113. This is the kind of bill you want to ask to the prom. It’s like your Sweet 16 and your first spin behind the wheels of your dad’s convertible all rolled into one beautiful package.
What is it about this bill that has us nostalgic for high school?
The language of the bill says: “This bill would lower the minimum age for purposes of submitting an affidavit of registration pursuant to these provisions to 16 years of age.”
Basically, you can pre-register to vote at 16 when you get your driver’s license. Short. Simple. Easy. Kind of a no-brainer. We’ve said this before, but registration is one of the greatest barriers that young people face when trying to vote for the first time, and California has the opportunity to make voting more accessible by lowering these barriers.
The Golden State has already taken some major steps towards making voter registration easier for its 38-odd million residents. The state switched over to online voter registration in 2012, which significantly reduces the hassle and confusion of mailing in a voter registration form. And just as a shameless plug, our online voter registration tool is now integrated with California’s—so you can register to vote in Cali without moving an inch! The existing law also lets young people pre-register to vote when they turn 17. Not bad!
We’re pretty jazzed about Senate Bill 113 and we are excited to see California continue to make voter registration easier for young people! So far, 2014 has been a pretty good year for young voters. Let’s hope the future of voting is as sweet as our Sweet 16s were.
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