City of Worcester, MA

Senator Harriette Chandler and the City Clerk's Office Visited all Worcester Public High Schools to Promote Voter Registration

For Immediate Release: 10/20/2017 1:47 pm

Worcester, MA (October 20, 2017) - For the past two weeks Massachusetts Senate Majority Leader Harriette Chandler and the Worcester City Clerk's Office, along with members of the Worcester State Delegation and members of the Worcester City Council and School Committee, have visited all of the Worcester Public High Schools to promote voter-registration and pre-registration for students 16 years of age and older.

Thanks to a 2014 law signed by former Governor Deval Patrick, sixteen-year-old Massachusetts residents may pre-register to vote, and can exercise that right once they turn eighteen. Although you must be at least 18 years of age in order to vote, students may pre-register to vote at 16 years of age. Students, who are 16 or 17 may submit voter registration forms to the Worcester Election Office, which will then place the student's name on the list of pre-registrants. Once the student is old enough to vote, the Election Office will mail them an acknowledgement notice that will include party affiliation and the location of their polling place. The central goal of preregistration is to encourage voting among young people, the group that consistently has the lowest turnout rates.

"I believe that it is vitally important that we begin educating young people about voting as early as possible," said Senator Chandler (D-Worcester). "The ability to participate in democracy is a right and a blessing. I want to do as much as I can to promote active civic participation, and visiting these schools is the first step."

"Engaging this new generation of future leaders is the most important task at this critical juncture in their lives. Through the generous commitment of time and talent of many people, we hope to instill through these voter registration sessions the understanding of how and why civic engagement is essential to their future, and the world that they will inherit. Registering to vote is the first step on the path of becoming a civically engaged member of the Worcester community," said Susan M. Ledoux, City Clerk.

The schools visited and the student registration numbers are listed below:

Senator Chandler and the City Clerk's Office would like to thank the Worcester Public Schools Superintendent Maureen Binienda, and all the High School Principals and members of their administration for their efforts in scheduling and hosting the voter registration drives in their respective schools.