Bill Text: CA SCR53 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Senate Concurrent Resolution 53

Introduced

Bill Title: High School Voter Education Weeks.

Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-2)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-06-27 - Ordered to inactive file on request of Senator Pérez. [SCR53 Detail]

Download: California-2025-SCR53-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Concurrent Resolution

No. 53

Introduced by Senator Pérez
(Coauthors: Senators Allen, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Durazo, Grove, Limón, Menjivar, Ochoa Bogh, Richardson, Rubio, and Smallwood-Cuevas)

March 28, 2025

Relative to High School Voter Education Weeks.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SCR 53, as introduced, Pérez. High School Voter Education Weeks.

This measure would declare Monday, April 14, 2025, to Friday, April 25, 2025, inclusive, as High School Voter Education Weeks and would strongly encourage local educational agencies to dedicate at least one of those 2 weeks to educating pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, on the electoral process, as provided. The measure would encourage local educational agencies to provide digital and physical resources necessary to provide this instruction and would encourage the governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies to contract with third-party nonprofit organizations, as provided, to accomplish this instruction.

Fiscal Committee: NO

WHEREAS, Pursuant to Section 49040 of the Education Code, the last two full weeks in April are known as “high school voter education weeks,” during which time persons authorized by the county elections official are allowed to register pupils and school personnel on any high school campus; and

WHEREAS, California is committed to fostering civic engagement and increasing voter participation among youth; and

WHEREAS, Young people, who represent the next generation of voters and leaders, remain a largely underrepresented group by exhibiting the lowest rates of voter turnout among age groups, and, more broadly, low levels of general civic engagement; and

WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic, occurring, for today’s young people, in the midst of essential stages of adolescent development, has created an ethos of disconnection and societal apathy which voids the singular mechanism to which civic engagement and participation in democracy hinges on; and

WHEREAS, Young people should be met in their educational environments, and be provided, with the history, knowledge, and resources to engage in the democratic process, for the purpose of revitalizing community ethos and promoting the importance of civic engagement; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares Monday, April 14, 2025, to Friday, April 25, 2025, inclusive, as High School Voter Education Weeks; and be it further

Resolved, That local educational agencies are strongly encouraged to dedicate at least one of the two High School Voter Education Weeks to educating pupils in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, on the electoral process, including instruction in all of the following:

(1) The importance of youth voting in the election cycle.

(2) Civil discourse.

(3) Election security.

(4) Voter apathy.

(5) The ballot measure process.

(6) Research and information literacy skills.

(7) Methods to improve voter turnout.

(8) Election issues in relation to current societal issues.

(9) History of voter suppression.

(10) Voter registration.

(11) Ballot structure.

(12) Comprehending the electoral college.

(13) Understanding political parties.

(14) Campaigns.

(15) Campaign finance.

(16) Voter identification laws.

(17) Early voting.

(18) Absentee voting.

(19) Using voter education resources.

(20) Understanding technology used in voting systems.

(21) Voting by mail.

(22) Public policy awareness.

(23) Impact of elections on communities.

(24) Civic engagement.

(25) Civic duty.

(26) Political literacy.

(27) Informed voting.

(28) Media literacy in politics.

(29) Intersectionality in politics.

(30) Political empowerment.

(31) Historical disparities in voting rates among socioeconomic, racial, and other identity groups in order to develop pupil understanding of the importance of voting; and be it further

Resolved, That local educational agencies are encouraged to provide digital and physical resources necessary to provide this instruction; and be it further

Resolved, That the governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies are encouraged to contract on a volunteer basis with third-party nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated experience in nonpartisan youth civic engagement to accomplish this instruction; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the State Department of Education and to the author for appropriate distribution.