Educational Materials
Universal Voter Registration

Supporting Research on Voter Registration and Turnout
Voting May Be Habit Forming, by Alan S. Gerber, Donald P. Green, and Ron Shachar presents evidence that voting for the first time will lead to voting in the future.

High School Voter Registration and Civic Education: Stastistical evidence reveals the need for a high school program of voter registration and civic education.

Minimum Voter Registration Ages: Read about the patchwork of regulations concerning voter registration in the United States.

Constitution Day
Read a history of Constitution Day.

Law Requires Lessons on Constitution, by Valerie Strauss and Lori Aratani

A new law requires all schools receiving federal funds, including university, to teach students about the Constitution on the obscure holiday Constitution Day, September 17.      

New Law Requires Workers To Learn About Constitution, by Christopher Lee

New legislation requires all federal agencies to provide "educational and training" materials about the  Constitution each year to the government's 1.8 million civilian employees -- all of whom, after all, take an oath to support and defend the national charter.    
    
Pending Legislation
San Francisco High School Voter Registration Legislation 

On April 5th the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to explore instituting a voter preregistration system for high school students. Resolution 271-05, sponsored by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, calls for preregistering students as they enter their junior year.

Maryland Senate Committee Approves High School Civics Curriculum

On February 21st, the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee approved former FairVote board member and first-year Senator Jamie Raskin's proposal to require students to learn about the U.S. and Maryland Constitution. The bill also gives eligible students the opportunity to register to vote in class.

Curriculum Ideas

FairVote's Learning Democracy Curriculum

The History of Voting Rights in the United States

Students at the polls

In 2000, 600 San Diego students served as poll workers, getting a first hand lesson in civics.

 

October 19th 2009
Mandatory Voting? Automatic Registration? How Un-American!
Huffington Post

President of Air America Media, Mark Green, explains why Instant Runoff Voting, Automatic Registration and Mandatory Voting are not only important but could lead to a more democratic society.

September 30th 2009
Can a 17-year-old register to vote? It depends
Ventura County Star

"Most Californians register to vote not because a political cause has touched their heart, but rather because they checked a box on a form at the Department of Motor Vehicles when they received or renewed their driver�s license."

September 27th 2009
Giving teens a civic voice
The Fayetteville Observer

In January, North Carolina will become the third state to implement FairVote-endorsed youth preregistration.

September 8th 2009
Give voters final say on vacancies
Politico

The two legislators proposing a constitutional amendment mandating elections to fill Senate vacancies make their case in the pages of Politico.