The Pennsylvania Departments of State and Education recently launched the fifth annual Governor’s Civic Engagement Award Program, which promotes student-led voter registration efforts.
“The GCEA program is a creative way to encourage civic education and engagement among Pennsylvania’s high school students and cultivate the lifelong habit of voting. Our youngest voters are the future of our democracy,” said Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid. “I urge educators to enroll their schools in this nonpartisan program as soon as possible so that their students can get the voter registration toolkit early and begin planning their voter registration efforts.”
Schools that register at least 85 percent of their eligible students earn a Gold Level Award, while schools that register 65 percent or more of their eligible students earn a Silver Level Award. To be eligible to register to vote, a student must be a U.S. citizen and 18 years old or will turn 18 on or before the date of the next primary, special, municipal or general election.
Students can earn individual GCEA awards for participating in voter registration efforts at their school and also serving as a poll worker during the Nov. 2 election. To be a poll worker, students must be at least 17 years old and have the permission of their school principal and parent or guardian.
The deadline for schools to apply for awards for the 2021-22 school year is May 5, 2022. Recognition events will be held to honor the winning schools and students.
“Providing our students with tools to become civically engaged is important as they prepare to vote and actively participate in our democracy,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Noe Ortega. “This will help create positive outcomes for our communities, and I commend our high school students and supporting educators for encouraging civic engagement across the commonwealth.”
