Last week, the City of San Diego announced the winners of the Dr. Shirley N. Weber Voter Registration Challenge during an awards ceremony at City Hall. The Office of the City Clerk partnered with the Office of Child and Youth Success to host this two-week challenge in April for local high schools as part of the City’s ongoing effort to promote civic engagement among local youth. The challenge aligns with the California Education Code that designates the last two weeks of April and September to be High School Voter Education Weeks. 

California Secretary of State, Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Mayor Todd Gloria, and City Clerk Diana Fuentes presented awards to the top three winners for the highest number of student participation, and the highest percentage based on eligible students. 

"We're thrilled to partner with the Office of Child and Youth Success and our local schools for this annual challenge. This initiative enhances accessibility and promotes greater equity by providing San Diego youth with more options to obtain voter registration cards,” said City Clerk Fuentes.

Throughout the challenge, nine high schools participated in the challenge to engage students 16 to18 years of age. The winning schools for the highest number of student participation are:

• Will C. Crawford High School
• Gompers Preparatory Academy
• The Preuss School UC San Diego

The winning school for the highest percentage based on the school’s number of eligible students are:

• San Diego Metropolitan Regional, Career, and Technical High School (“SD MET”)

During the voter challenge, staff shared resources and promotional materials to encourage students to register to vote. In addition to registering students ages 18 and older to vote, schools encouraged eligible students ages 16 and 17 to pre-register, allowing them to automatically become registered voters when they turn 18 years of age. 

All participating schools were invited to attend the awards ceremony in person. Will C. Crawford High School also received a special visit from local radio and television personality Geena the Latina.