New Law Ensures Graduating High Schoolers Receive Voter Registration Forms
(TRENTON) – A new law sponsored by Assembly members Ralph R. Caputo and Valerie Vainieri Huttle means all New Jersey schools will soon be providing voter registration materials to graduating high school students.
Caputo, a former educator, said the law – signed Jan. 11 – increases the likelihood that voter registration materials are received by young people.
“With so many key issues facing society, whether it be global conflicts, environmental worries, economic fears or health care concerns, it’s more important than ever that young people have their voices heard,” said Caputo (D-Essex). “There’s no better time to emphasize the role of being a citizen and the importance of voting than when a teen-ager is entering the world after receiving their high school diploma.”
Under the law (A-2752 from the 2008-09 legislative session), each public school board and officials in private schools will provide a voter registration form and a summary of voter registration eligibility requirements to each graduating high school pupil.
The material will be nonpartisan and conform to state election laws.
“Young adults entering the world after high school need to recognize that voting is more than just a constitutional right, but their societal responsibility,” said Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen). “Teenagers who recognize the importance of voting will undoubtedly become adults who take that responsibility seriously.”
The law takes effect with the school year starting this coming September.
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