DES MOINES, IOWA (September 20, 2022) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is encouraging all Iowa high schools to participate in a statewide effort to register students to vote. Each school that registers at least ninety percent of their eligible students to vote will receive the Carrie Chapman Catt Award, named after the Iowan who was a national leader in the women’s-suffrage movement. Sec Pate made the announcement of this year’s registration drive on Tuesday, September 20, which coincides with National Voter Registration Day.
“Since launching this program three years ago, we’ve helped thousands of young people register to vote, and hopefully inspired a lifetime of civic engagement,” Sec Pate said. “Last year, 31 schools earned the Carrie Chapman Catt Award. I want to see even greater numbers this school year, and I’m encouraging every school in Iowa to step up.”
The Catt Award began during the 2019-20 school year and Sec Pate has distributed 71 trophies to schools that earned the award since that time. Schools that register at least fifty percent and seventy percent of eligible students will also receive statewide recognition.
State law allows seventeen-year-olds to register to vote in Iowa. They can also participate in primary elections if they will be eighteen years old in time for the general election. Partnering with Inspire2Vote, Sec Pate will help schools across the state organize and conduct voter registration drives. Inspire2Vote is a program of Project High Hopes, a 501(c)3 operating foundation which engages in innovating programs in the areas of civic responsibility.
Schools interested in being considered for the Carrie Chapman Catt Award and receiving information and resources about how to conduct a voter registration should visit inspire2vote.org/iasignup. For more details about the Carrie Chapman Catt Award and to see last year’s winners, visit the Iowa Secretary of State’s website.
