California secretary of state takes voting message to Modesto High School

Modesto High School students got a lesson in why voting matters from the children of Mexican immigrants, one now a Modesto city councilman and the other the California secretary of state.

“You’re the future leaders of our communities, of our state, of our country,” Secretary of State Alex Padilla told about 150 seniors, his podium flanked by tables ready to register 18-year-olds to vote and preregister those just on the cusp.

“You young people are the future, but you’re not just the future. You can be the present, too,” Padilla said, urging the young adults to vote and to get their friends, families and neighbors to vote, too.

“If there’s things that really get you excited in your city, your state, your country – you want to be a part of that. Register. Vote,” he told the students. “If you don’t like the direction of your community, of the city, of the state, that’s the reason to register and vote. That’s how our voice is heard in this country.”

The areas where crime is the highest and where school funding is the lowest tend to be where the fewest people vote, he pointed out. Such disparities were part of what got him, the son of a restaurant cook and a maid, involved in politics, Padilla said.

“Every election is important,” he added. “Each and every position of government has a direct influence on your quality of life and on your future.”

Padilla was welcomed to the stage by Councilman Tony Madrigal. Both men spoke of modest beginnings in communities not eligible to vote, and of the pride their parents as naturalized citizens took in casting a ballot in every election.

Answering a student’s question about how teens who cannot vote yet could get involved, Padilla suggested volunteering in campaigns or serving as poll workers for the upcoming primary balloting.

In California, 7 million people eligible to vote have not registered, and of those who have registered, 40 to 50 percent fail to cast ballots every election, Padilla said. And the group with the very lowest numbers is young adults, he said, noting that 8 percent voted in the November 2014 election that took him to statewide office.

Students asked if voting could be done online. Not yet, Padilla said, because online votes would reveal which candidates a voter chose. Existing methods show the voter voted, but keep his choices private. But registering to vote can be done at http://registertovote.ca.gov. A Padilla-backed law will make voter registration automatic with driver’s license applications and renewals of eligible citizens starting in 2017.

It was his high school government teacher that first helped him register to vote and started him on his path, Padilla said.

“It wasn’t until I got involved that I realized the difference I could make.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "California secretary of state takes voting message to Modesto High School."