Oakland Student Concerns Remain Ignored by County

When Oakland Unified students organized for the right to vote in their school board elections three years ago, they were thrilled when their efforts won 68% of the vote. However, since November 2020, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters has yet to implement the measure. This is incredibly tragic for the hard working and civically engaged students who fought for their right to vote, and causing similar youth movements to lose critical momentum.

We must demand that Alameda County and other counties across the state listen to youth voters and take their concerns seriously. It's unacceptable to see a successfully and fairly passed measure by the younger generation be disregarded and continuously pushed back. If students still can't vote in school board meetings years after winning their measure, we need to reexamine how democratic our state really is. Let our students have a voice!

Andrew Reed for EdSource

Hope, frustration and hard lessons as youth try to lower voting age for school board

Carolyn Jones, EdSource | 8/5/2022