Empowering Future Voters:
LWV Alameda Youth Outreach
LWV Alameda believes in empowering the next generation of voters. Through engaging programs and partnerships with local schools, we help students understand the power of their voices and the importance of civic participation.
We view our youth as critical to the future health of our democracy. With this in mind, we are exploring a number of ways to increase youth awareness of issues affecting their lives. On a practical level, we encourage and assist voting-age youth to exercise the right to vote. Youth outreach is perhaps our most important mission.
Read about our ongoing services to the City of Alameda youth and our achievements, below. To collaborate on or help with our youth outreach programs, please email us.
Our Achivements
Our youth outreach began back in 2017 and ramped up significantly in 2021, culminating in a student-led, school-integrated voter registration initiative launched in August 2024.
This project focused on Alameda’s six high schools—three public (including one continuation school and one science and technology institute), one charter, and one private Catholic school. With approximately 1,200 juniors and seniors enrolled, we aimed to give every eligible student the opportunity to register or pre-register to vote—during the school day.
We set out to:
-
Bring voter registration events into each school’s class schedule—not just lunchtime or after school.
-
Gain support from the Alameda Unified School District, principals, and teachers.
-
Reach all juniors and seniors (ages 16–18) at each high school.
-
Enable students to plan and lead the events, with League support.
-
Follow up with pre-registered students to encourage them to vote once they turn 18—and form lifelong civic habits.
We met these goals—and more. With new lessons learned, we're already planning an even stronger program for the upcoming school year.
League and Community Support
More than 30 volunteers—from our small League and the broader Alameda community—contributed time, skills, and enthusiasm to make these events a success. Some of those volunteers, both students and adults, joined our League afterward. We anticipate even more participation this year.
Highlights of Our Work
-
Held voter registration events at all six Alameda high schools over two weeks in September 2024—aligned with National Voter Registration Day and California High School Voter Education Weeks.
-
Conducted events during school hours at five schools and during lunch at the sixth, with full cooperation from school staff.
-
Offered all juniors and seniors the opportunity to register or pre-register to vote.
-
Events were student-led at five schools (with some limitations at the continuation school).
-
Trained ~75 students to help peers complete paper voter registration forms.
-
Trained the same students to assist with writing and addressing reminder postcards.
-
Registered or pre-registered over 600 high school students!
-
Advisory teachers helped prepare students at larger schools; students wrote messages and self-addressed the postcards.
-
We will mail each student’s postcard to them around their 18th birthday to remind them to vote and stay civically engaged.
-
Received unanimous endorsement from the Alameda Unified School District Board.
-
High school principals and teachers were key supporters and active participants.
This success reflects years of steady effort. It took us many years of persistence, relationship-building, and program refinement—to get here. We’re proud of the trust we’ve earned, the partnerships we’ve built, and the foundation we’ve laid for future outreach.
What’s Next?
We plan to expand the program with a new civic education and engagement component—fostering student understanding of how democracy works, why civic involvement matters, and what it means to be an active citizen.