More than 50,000 city students 17 and up will have the chance to register to vote through their schools this year, city officials said Monday.
The new voter registration program builds on single-day events the city executed in 2016 and 2017 — and is one of a number of projects to boost civic involvement among the city’s 1.1 million public school kids that’ll be unveiled by Mayor de Blasio in his Tuesday State of the City address.
De Blasio “in our current political environment,” said civic education — and civic involvement — is “more important than ever.”
“The fate of our country is in their hands, and they deserve to be included in the democratic process,” he said. “If you don’t teach civics and acclimate students to the democratic process, how can you expect teenagers to develop into engaged citizens?”
The public schools’ voter registration program kicks off in the spring, and will allow school staffers to identify eligible students, help them register to vote and submit their registration forms.
Students will then be able to register for any political party they wish.
To further boost civic-mindedness in the public schools, de Blasio is also rolling out three new curricula in the fall for students of all grade levels.
The city will also expand training programs for city teachers in civic education curriculum and in advocacy campaigns.
Other civics-related efforts will boost student-run advocacy campaigns and help educators tailor their lessons to current events.
In all, the programs will cost $7 million for their first year in operation.
