(Des Moines) Iowa Secretary of State is celebrating Iowa High School Voter Registration Day on February 11.
Iowa already boasts strong youth voter registration and participation rates, thanks to the Iowa law that allows 17-year-olds to register to vote and participate in Primary Elections if they turn 18 prior to or on the day of the General Election.
In 2024 schools reported that nearly 16,000 high school students were registered to vote as part of the Carrie Chapman Catt Award program. The award goes to schools that register at least 90 percent of their eligible students to vote. More than 2,600 high school students registered this year in conjunction with the Catt Award initiative.
As part of efforts to encourage Iowa’s youth to register to vote and participate in the elections process, Secretary Pate launched the Carrie Chapman Catt Award program in 2019 to encourage voter registration in Iowa high schools. The award is named after Carrie Chapman Catt, a famous Iowa native who was instrumental in securing passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women access to the ballot box more than 100 years ago.
