Editorial: School voter registration good start

The Ysleta Independent School District and state Sen. José Rodríguez are launching a worthwhile pilot project next week aimed at getting young people registered to vote.

Throughout next week, Ysleta officials and Rodríguez’s Youth Advisory Committee will make voter registration presentations at seven comprehensive high schools and three special campuses.

An estimated 1,200 Ysleta ISD students will be 18 years of age by Election Day this November.

“Voter turnout in El Paso is well below average, with only 9 percent of eligible voters having voted this past May,” 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.”

The registration effort is a necessary first step. Rodríguez’s office said that in 2008, 6 million Americans did not vote because they missed a registration deadline, or did not know how to register.

The idea to use schools to help register voters came from Rodríguez’s Youth Advisory Committee.

Texas law requires each school to have a registrar at high schools to help students who want to register to vote. But the law doesn’t mandate any outreach efforts for getting young adults registered.

At this week’s presentations, students will hear a 40-minute non-partisan message on the basics of voting from the Youth Advisory Committee.

Voter registration cards will be passed out and collected by a deputy voter registrar.

The program will start with Ysleta ISD, then go to other districts. Rodríguez’s office said other districts expressing interest include El Paso Independent School District, Canutillo Independent School District, Tornillo Independent School District, and Fabens Independent School District.

While registration is a necessary step for voting, it’s the beginning of the process, not the end. Tens of thousands of El Pasoans register to vote – often through user-friendly approaches like motor voter laws when getting a driver’s license – then never cast a ballot.

The challenge is most evident among young adults.

In the 2012 presidential election, people age 18-29 constituted about 24 percent of El Paso’s voting-age population. That age group made up about 22 percent of registered voters.

But when it came time to cast a ballot, those same young adults made up less than 15 percent of actual voters.

Ysleta ISD and Rodríguez’s office have a good start with the registration effort. But other civic groups should look at improving actual voting performance of young adults (and all other age groups while they’re at it.)

Low voter participation has plagued El Paso for generations, diminishing our clout at state and national levels. Reversing that trend is one of our most important challenges.

Starting with young adults is a good approach, because with appropriate efforts they can build a habit of voting, rather than abstaining.

Congratulations to Rodríguez and Ysleta ISD for the voter registration program. We hope other groups will build on that work.