According to the Texas Observer, nearly two-thirds of high schools in Texas ignore a 30-year-old state law mandating that high school seniors who are 18 years old be given the opportunity to register to vote. That makes AISD’s partnership with the Travis County Tax Office even more laudable. On Graduation Night, district seniors were offered voter registration applications while they waited to walk the stage to receive their diplomas. In a record for the three-year-old program, 591 seniors from 14 schools registered to vote. Said AISD Superintendent Paul Cruz in a press release, “We are proud to offer our graduates an opportunity to continue engaging in our community after they graduate. Part of preparing students for college, career and life includes being active participants in our local community.” Travis County Voter Registrar Bruce Elfant weighed in, saying, “We are so proud of the graduates who registered to vote, of our great partnership with Austin ISD and of our volunteer deputy registrars who gave their free time to register the graduates. We know students who register and vote when they turn 18 are much more likely to become lifelong voters.”
Graduates get diplomas – and voter registration cards
