Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced today that four Iowa schools have qualified for the Carrie Chapman Catt Award by registering at least 90 percent of their eligible students to vote. The award is part of a new initiative Secretary Pate launched in September.
Prairie High School and Isaac Newton Christian Academy in Cedar Rapids, along with Newman Catholic High School in Mason City and Rivermont Collegiate in Bettendorf have surpassed the 90 percent threshold. Eight other high schools across the state have registered at least 50 percent of their eligible students to vote.
“Congratulations to the schools that have already qualified for this prestigious award. I encourage every school around the state to get involved in this effort,” Secretary Pate said.
A new state law allows 17-year-olds to register to vote. Students can also vote in primary elections if they will be 18 by Election Day in November. There are almost 5,000 17-year-olds registered to vote in Iowa, with more than half of those registering since Secretary Pate’s initiative began.
The Carrie Chapman Catt Award is named after an Iowan who was one of the national leaders of the women’s suffrage movement. She helped secure passage of 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. The deadline for schools to qualify for the award is April 1, 2020. Secretary Pate will do a formal trophy presentation at each high school during the spring of 2020.
The Secretary of State’s Office is partnering with national non-profit organizations Inspire2Vote and YMCA Youth and Government to help schools register students to vote.
They have helped the Secretary of State register more than 1,100 students since September. Schools interested in being considered for the Carrie Chapman Catt Award and receiving information and resources about how to conduct a voter registration should visit inspire2vote.org/iowasignup or contact Kendall Antle in the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office at [email protected].
