Morro Bay High School government teacher Laura Van Zee and her class received a surprise award on Monday in San Luis Obispo County's first-ever voter registration competition.
The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder's Office and the League of Women Voters partnered on the competition to encourage eligible high school students to register or pre-register to vote.
Van Zee was awarded a trophy, a glass plaque, and a $250 check.
She said she is proud of her students who worked hard to encourage other students to participate.
“I want them to focus on the local things, the things they can control within our community. I tell them about the local government and how it will affect their lives daily. Get involved, learn how to speak up, and use your voice about issues that matter,” Van Zee said.
Some of her students are now among the 1,212 pre-registered voters in the county.
“I think everyone in the community just wants to see it succeed and the way we would do that is being informed about the things we want to see in the community done,” said student Caroline Muff.
“Each vote is important and I want to be a part of my nation's functions and systems and locally, I know there's a lot of influence that goes into every vote. I want to make sure I have my say in small-scale matters and national matters,” added student Orion Rea.
To determine the winner, school enrollment data was used to calculate the rate of participation among students who are age 16 and older.
Morro Bay High School registered 28% of eligible students.
“We were just trying to brainstorm for the various ways we can reach out to our 16- and 17-year-olds and get them engaged,” said Elaina Cano, San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder.
High schools county-wide had two weeks at the end of September to encourage voter registration.
Atascadero, Central Coast New Tech, Nipomo, San Luis Obispo, and Paso Robles high schools also participated, pre-registering a total of 560 students.
County elections officials say they plan to do this again for the next election in 2026.
