Governor's Civic Engagement Award
About the Award
The Governor’s Civic Engagement Award is presented by the Pennsylvania Departments of State and Education. The award celebrates the efforts of Pennsylvania high school students to educate, engage and inform their fellow students about how to get involved in the voting process.
Award Distinctions:
Gold Level School Award
This award is presented to schools where 85% of eligible students are registered to vote.
Student ambassadors and the school will receive a plaque and certificates from the Secretary of State at a regional recognition event.
Silver Level School Award
This award is presented to schools where 65% of eligible students are registered to vote.
Student ambassadors and the school will receive a plaque and certificates from the Secretary of State at a regional recognition event.
Individual Award
This award is presented to students who participate in a voter registration at their school and serve as a poll worker on election day.
Individual award recipients will receive special recognition at a regional recognition event
Eligibility
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To be eligible to register to vote, students must be US Citizens and 18 years of age (or 17 years of age and will be 18 on or before the next election).
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To serve as a poll worker, students must be 17 years of age and obtain permission from their principal and parent/guardian to serve as a poll worker.
How do schools earn the award?
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Sign up with the PA Department of State.
This year, we are asking ALL SCHOOLS to complete the
online registration form to let us know that you are holding a registration drive at your school. This way, we can communicate with you periodically during the school year. -
Run Your Voter Registration Drive
Plan and execute a voter registration drive at your school. Make a plan to count the number of registrations collected and calculate the percent of eligible students registered at your school. -
Submit your application for the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award.
At the conclusion of your voter registration drive, submit your application for the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award using our
online form.
The deadline for applications is April 3, 2020.
Are there resources available to help plan a voter registration drive?
- You can use this
Quick Guide to get started. The guide covers the basics of what you'll need for your high school voter registration drive.
- The PA Department of State provides
pledge cards to help track registrations. You can download and print the pledge cards, or you can request paper cards from the Department of State using a request form.
- Educators may use the Department of State's voter registration curriculum to integrate the Governor's Civic Engagement Award into classroom activities. The curriculum is also available on the PA Department of Education's Standards Aligned System.
- If you need paper voter registration applications, request them from the Department of State using a request form.
How do I calculate the % of eligible students?
The school awards are calculated using the number of students who will be eligible to vote in the April 2020 Pennsylvania primary election. If you are not able to calculate the number of eligible students, you may use the size of your senior class as a proxy. Contact the PA Department of State or Inspire US for additional guidance on how to calculate the number of eligible students at your school.
How can I involve students who may not be eligible to vote?
Students who are not eligible to vote in the 2020 Pennsylvania primary election can still help organize and run voter registration drives. They can also help educate their peers about the electoral process. The Department of State also offers
pledge cards that students can complete to say that they pledge to vote once they are eligible.
How do individual students earn the award?
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Contact your county election office.
Contact information is at
www.VotesPA.com/county. Ask the county election office if they allow high school students to serve as poll workers. If they do, submit the necessary information and application materials. -
Work as a poll worker on election day!
In order to qualify for the award, you must serve as a poll worker on behalf of your county at a polling place in the November 2019 election. -
Educators and county officials submit nomination forms.
Nominations may be submitted by high school educators and county election officials. This year, all nominations must be submitted using our
online form.
Recognition Events
There will be four (4) regional recognition events in early May 2020 for the following regions:
- Central PA
- Northeastern PA
- Southeastern PA
- Western PA
Who can attend?
Faculty and students from ALL participating schools will be invited to attend. Even if your school does not earn an award, faculty and student leaders are welcome to join us for the recognition program. This year, we also encourage you to invite younger students to attend in recognition of their older peers.
What does the event include?
The event ceremonies will include guest speakers, a student panel, and awards presentation.
If you have questions, contact the Pennsylvania Department of State at 717-787-5280 or
ra-voterreg@pa.gov.
Previous Year Winners:
News:
2019/09/24 - Acting Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar celebrated National Voter Registration Day today by participating in a voter registration event and roundtable discussion with students at Carlisle High School.
From Our Blog:
2019/09/17 - The PA Department of State is thrilled to kick off the third year of the Governor's Civic Engagement
Award (GCEA) program...