At long last, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters has finalized and established plans for the youth in Oakland and Berkeley to have their votes counted in school board elections this fall, becoming the first in the nation to do so.
To simplify matters, the Registrar will be using California’s existing pre-registration system – the system that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote in California as a whole – for students to register to vote in their local school board races in Oakland or Berkeley.
To do so, “youth voters,” those 16- and 17-year-old residents of both Oakland and Berkeley should go to https://registertovote.ca.gov and pre-register (see the graphic below). Any 16- or 17- year-old residing in Oakland or Berkeley who previously pre-registered to vote will be automatically registered as a youth voter.
For more information, one of the four jurisdictions partnered for today’s announcement, the City of Berkeley issued a Press Release detailing the voting process for youth along with key dates:
Key Information & Dates for the November 5, 2024, election:
- Voter Information Guides will be mailed to all voters, including youth voters, starting Thursday, September 26, 2024.
- All voters, including youth voters, will be mailed a mail ballot starting the week of October 7, 2024.
- The last day for all voters, including youth voters, to register online to vote is Monday, October 21, 2024.
- The last day for all voters, including youth voters, to request a mail ballot replacement is Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
- All voters, including youth voters, may register to vote in person at the Registrar of Voters’ office (1225 Fallon St., Oakland) through Election Day.
Congratulations to every community organization from the Oakland Youth Council onwards for setting this historic, first-in-the-nation initiative on a path to realization! It’s a credit to our youth demanding change and an opportunity for their voices to officially be heard that made this possible.