(Redwood City, CA) Today, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors presented a proclamation to designate May 30-June 4, 2005 as “San Mateo County High School Voter Registration Week.” This initiative, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, San Mateo County’s Chief Elections Officer Warren Slocum, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the high schools districts in San Mateo County and the California Secretary of State’s Office announces the kick-off of a project undertaken by 30 League of Women Voters community volunteers.

"I’m proud that the Board of Supervisors has this opportunity to recognize the importance of giving young people every opportunity to perform their civic duty to be engaged in our democracy by exercising their right and privilege to vote,” said Supervisor Richard Gordon, President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.

“All of the high school districts in San Mateo County agreed to participate in this High School Voter Education and Registration project,” explained Carole Dorshkind, Chair of the Committee to Promote Student Voter Registration in San Mateo County. We are most encouraged by the reception and partnership offered by our local schools and our county’s Chief Elections Officer.”

“As the Chief Elections Officer, and a parent of two teenage sons, I know that high school students are under a great deal of pressure and concerned about making good grades, scoring well on the SATs and getting into college - but it’s important to show them how to register and vote because the decisions that our political leaders are making today clearly affect students through high school, college and beyond. If we can help them see the connection between politics and everyday life; if we can show them that they do have political power; then this collaborative effort between the League, the Board of Supervisors, local schools and the Secretary of State’s Office will have been successful.”

Among the school districts, the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees passed a resolution in support of the San Mateo County High School Students’ Voter Registration Week. “We have encouraged our students and staff to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Pat Gemma, Superintendent, Sequoia Union High School District.

“League of Women Volunteers contacted 31 public and private high schools throughout the county reaching nearly 100 US Government and Economics teachers,” explained Dorshkind.

A new voter’s lesson plan, entitled “Voting,” was prepared especially for this new project by John-Mott Smith, Voter Education Programs Manager for the California Secretary of State’s Office. Mr. Mott-Smith will be on hand at the Board meeting. He also plans to attend some of the classroom lessons to meet with students, teachers and League of Women Voter volunteers.

In those classrooms utilizing the lesson plan, students will learn about the history of voting rights as well as useful facts about eligibility for and the processes of registering and voting in California. All students will become familiar with the voter registration forms, the process of voting and learn about information resources that will help demystify the process of voting.

“Teachers are offering class time for their senior students to learn how to register (and to register) to vote during class. Together we will work to engage this under-represented group of voters,” said Kathleen Weisenberg, SmartVoter.org Coordinator. Volunteers are providing teachers with the needed voter registration forms, student handouts, www.smartvoter.org bookmarks for students and an introduction to the myriad of educational services and resources offered by the League.

“It is the hope of the sponsors of this special week and the volunteers working to make it possible, that giving students this special opportunity to register to vote will demonstrate the value that their teachers and others in the community share about the importance of their becoming informed, active participants in our democratic system and the governments that serve the people of the county, the state and the nation,” said Dorshkind.

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