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 Voting is a critical function of our democracy. In 2018, the Washington State Legislature created the Future Voter program in an effort to increase access to voter registration and recognize the importance of lifelong civic participation. Because of this work, 16- and-17-year-olds will automatically be registered to vote when they turn 18.
The law requires schools to provide high school seniors the opportunity to register to vote, during social studies instructional time, on Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, January 26. In addition to #FutureVoter, new legislation: RCW 29A.08.170 (effective January 1, 2022), provides 17-year-olds who will be 18 by the November General Election the opportunity to vote in the August Primary. The presidential election year provides a unique opportunity to create excitement for voting and voter registration.
Temperance and Good Citizenship Day is January 16, but the Office of the Secretary of State is ready to support you now! Good citizenship doesn’t wait until January, and neither do we.
Check out the TGCD resources on their website (sos.wa.gov/tgcd), request a voter registration starter kit (sos.wa.gov/starter-kit), and email us to schedule a classroom visit (electionsoutreach@sos.wa.gov)!
Temperance and Good Citizenship Day is on January 26, 2024. The law requires schools to provide high school seniors the opportunity to register to vote, during social studies instructional time. Save the date for this webinar where staff from OSPI and the Washington Secretary of State Office share requirements, best practices, and answer your questions. Educators can receive one free clock hour (General or Equity)
When: Monday, January 8 from 4–5pm
Click here to register via pdEnroller
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 The 2024 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest is an essay and video competition open to high school students in nine western states and two Pacific Island jurisdictions. Students from public, private, parochial and charter schools as well as homeschooled students of equivalent grade status may enter.
2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the United State Supreme Court’s 1954 landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. In Brown, a unanimous Supreme Court held that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine that it had adopted in Plessy v. Ferguson, an 1896 case that addressed whether states could legally require railroad companies to provide equal but separate accommodations for passengers of different races.
Both essays and videos can be submitted electronically starting January 8, 2024. Deadline for entries is 11:59 pm Pacific Time, March 8, 2024.
Click here to learn more.
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