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COE highlights youth civic summit; mock election showed students favor lowering voting age
Summary
County Office of Education staff told trustees the Youth Civic Summit engaged roughly 150 students in interactive sessions on media literacy, elections and youth rights; a mock election favored lowering the voting age to 16 by 75–66 with one overvote and organizers plan to expand the event next year.
County Office of Education staff and student leaders presented a recap of the recent Youth Civic Summit, a nonpartisan event aimed at teaching civic skills and increasing youth engagement.
Andres Ortiz and staff lead Nick (presenters for the event) described approximately 150 student participants rotating through three breakout sessions: COE-led media-literacy workshops, an Elections 101 mock election run with the county clerk’s office and a session on the Children and Youth Bill of Rights led by local elected officials. "We opened up with a keynote and had students rotate between three very interactive breakouts," a presenter said, adding the mock election was run on official paper ballots and certified by the county clerk.
Students voted on three mock measures. The measure to lower the voting age to 16 carried 75–66 (with one overvote); a proposal to allow redistricting outside the decennial census was rejected; and students voted to retain cell phones in schools rather than a ban. Organizers reported strong survey feedback: of 60 respondents, roughly 90% said they had a better understanding of the election and voting process after the summit, and 93% reported improved understanding of youth rights and civic participation. Staff said they plan to expand the event to about 200 students next year and are exploring more student involvement in planning.
