PROVIDENCE, RI -- Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis will be at Shea High School in Pawtucket tomorrow to announce that he has won a federal grant that will give thousands of high school students the opportunity to decide the most crucial issues facing Rhode Island in a statewide vote this fall.
"An informed electorate is the keystone of democracy. Some of these students will become our next generation of leaders. I hope our work produces a new generation of voters and citizens committed to making their voices heard,” said Mollis.
Under the "Voters in the Classroom" initiative, students will decide which issues to put on the statewide referendum ballot, establish voting procedures through classroom discussions and assemblies and staff polling places at their schools.
Online instructional tools will be produced for classroom use and formal training will be provided for high school student volunteers as well as Roger Williams University (RWU) students to learn how to set up and administer polling places.
The initiative will culminate in a statewide vote on the referenda questions on Oct. 19 using real ballots and voting machines. About 23,000 students are expected to participate.
Among the other high schools that have already expressed an interest in participating are Chariho, Cranston West, North Providence, Scituate, Smithfield and Tolman and Jacqueline M. Walsh in Pawtucket.
Mollis is working with Shea's Government and Public Administration Academy, the state Board of Elections, RWU and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop the statewide voter education project.
“I am grateful to our partners for their commitment to this important initiative. Our success will pay dividends for decades to come as these youngsters become engaged in civic involvement,” said Mollis.
The entire cost of the initiative will be covered by a $37,300 grant from the federal Elections Assistance Commission. Rhode Island was one of just eight applicants to win grants.
As part of the "Voters in the Classroom" initiative, Mollis is holding voter registration drives at every Rhode Island high school leading up to the 2010 elections. In order to be eligible to vote, students must be U.S. citizens, residents of Rhode Island and turn age 18 by Election Day 2010.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 59 percent of eligible 18-to-24-year-olds were registered to vote on Election Day 2008. Just 49 percent actually voted in that election. Students who miss the Secretary of State's visit are still in luck.
The Secretary of State’s office prepares the ballots for all federal, state and municipal elections held in Rhode Island. In addition, the office maintains the state’s central voter registration system and distributes handbooks that explain how to run for office, how to register to vote and how to vote.
Secretary of State Mollis is committed to making it easier to vote, helping businesses grow and making government more open and accessible. For more information about the programs and services the Secretary of State offers Rhode Islanders, visit sos.ri.gov.