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Mr. Yang, Ms. Ortiz Franklin, Mr. Melvoin, Ms. Newbill - LAUSD V.O.T.E.S. (Voting Opportunities That Empower Students) (Res-013-25/26) (Waiver of Board Rule 72)
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Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District Student Board Member position was created in 2014 to serve as the lead student advocate on the Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District and therefore all of the District's high school students should have knowledge of the Student Board Member candidates before voting;
Whereas, National Voter Registration Day is celebrated each year, including September 16, 2025, as an effort to increase voter registration, civic engagement and each eligible citizen's right and responsibility to vote (https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/);
Whereas, The District has a long history of advocacy and listening to student input when creating policy and encourages students to begin exercising their rights to vote in high school and in their adulthood;
Whereas, Student engagement, accessible information, and honoring perspectives are crucial components of the District's Strategic Plan, including Pillar 3, Engagement and Collaboration;
Whereas, The Tufts Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement conducted a survey in 2020 that showed positive correlation between students being encouraged to vote in high school and voting in elections later in life;
Whereas, 9.75% (11,287 out of 115,715 high school students) students voted in the past District Student Board Member Election from March 24, 2025, to April 8, 2025, which was an increase of over 409% from two years ago, and an increase of 26.4% from the past year;
Whereas, In 2014 Assembly Bill 1817 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown designating the last two full weeks in April and September as High School Voter Education Weeks to promote civic education and foster an environment that encourages voting;
Whereas, California's Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley N....
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