SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) has released a series of Public Service Announcements entitled '#IVoted' a four-part series designed to engage student populations underrepresented at the voting polls.
"SCCOE and Opportunity Youth Partnership have created the #IVoted pilot program to foster nonpartisan civic engagement of opportunity youth in Santa Clara County," stated County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan.
According to the US Census Bureau, millennials will outnumber baby boomers in the 2020 election, but they are also the lowest ranking age group for eligible voter turnout. Research also demonstrates that adverse factors, such as dropping out of high school are a further reduction in voter participation.
"To meet this need, we created a voter education campaign driven by professional development for teachers and videos targeting young adults to increase voter turnout during the midterm November 2018 election," added Dewan.
Each episode features students at Opportunity Youth Academy, covering essential topics including who is eligible to vote, how to register to vote, voter language assistance, and why you should vote. Opportunity Youth Academy and the students featured in the video campaign will be honored by the Santa Clara County Board of Education on October 24.