SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), author of Assembly Bill 59, which added college campuses as criteria for consideration of vote center locations, released the following statement today in response to the vote center at San José State University that will open Saturday:
“This is an exciting year for voter engagement and an important chance to continue the momentum we have seen with increases in youth voter turnout, especially as we take part in a presidential election and transition into a Voter’s Choice Act county. I am particularly grateful to see this vote center open in my district because it is in line with a bill that I authored last year, AB 59, which makes it easier for young people on college campuses to reach the ballot box. With more accessibility and services that come with an on-campus vote center, we will make strides among busy college students. It is wonderful to see this effort come to fruition and I commend the campus, the Registrar of Voters, and the Secretary of State for working together and for their commitment to improving civic engagement among young voters. It is imperative that we continue to empower and engage young people, which will in turn decrease the disproportional representation in voter turnout and move us toward a more active democracy.”
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