Hah! Berkeley CA.. Trying to make voter registration a condition of graduation

Great idea..

Registering them is NOT "forcing them to vote"..

The opponents say they should not be "forced' to register :) Can't guess who THOSE people might be, now can we? :evilgrin:

No one should be forced to register for anything to graduate if they have fulfilled their requirements.

That would be a perfect venue.. and not unexpected :)

that I have ever disagreed with you, but on this I do. Registering to vote is sort of like being forced to pay a tithe to a church you don't want to belong to. You either want to be involved or you don't. Civics classes should give you the information and desire to do this, however, it shouldn't be tied to your grade.

Registration is something people tend to put off and then find out they have missed the date. 18 year old boys still have to register for the (non) draft..

I really don't see anything wrong with doing it at school.. After a few years went by MOST peoplel would end up registered to vote would be the only real outcome I see..

Schools have "denied" graduation for a lot of sillier reasons.. I had a classmate who flunked gym because she refused to "dress" for the class and she had her diploma mailed to her that summer after she took a 12 hour "health" class at summer school.. She still got a scholarship to college, but the school insited on punishing her..

...what about people who graduate before they turn 18? I graduated almost five months years before my 18th birthday.

when you turn 18 :hi:

i graduated high school at 16. according to this wacko law, my graduation would be denied for two more years! by then, i already had my bachelors degree!

By having you fill it out, your "requirement" would be met :)

The original post implies you must be registered to graduate. Are you changing your story?

If they were 18 they would do it as classwork :)

Few people were 18 by November, by many more were 18 by the time of the primary election on the first Tuesday in June. The students who were still not 18 loudly complained.

As far as I can tell, that's just straight up age discrimination, imagine a freshman high school class where the teacher gave the 15 year olds extra credit that all the 14 year old students couldn't get. As far as I can tell, parents would complain, loudly, about that.

but I also offer several kinds of extra credit. Registering to vote is but one option

http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/0-0&fp=465a1f274fb4bc5b&ei=06NaRorRA5GIqwOx7fDWDQ&url=http%3A//www.western-star.com/n/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/05/23/ddn052307voting.html&cid=0&sig2=ipRKFImQsxPyOtM4wHlPHw
State sending out voter forms as graduation gifts
Lebanon Western Star, OH - May 22, 2007
COLUMBUS — — Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wants to give some local high school graduates something extra with their diplomas: voter registration ...
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http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/1-0&fp=465a1f274fb4bc5b&ei=06NaRorRA5GIqwOx7fDWDQ&url=http%3A//campaignsandelections.com/oh/articles/index.cfm%3Fid%3D199&cid=0&sig2=FdnQQhixh8LfBa61qTu6EA
GOP Calls Student Registration Pilot Program Partisan
Campaigns & Elections (press release) - May 23, 2007
Ted Strickland (D) along with voter registration forms distributed by principals as classes wind down for the summer. ...
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http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/2-0&fp=465a1f274fb4bc5b&ei=06NaRorRA5GIqwOx7fDWDQ&url=http%3A//www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20070514/THISJUSTIN/70514011&cid=0&sig2=LLV2_rFP38t0_gcpNre8TA
May 14-21 is High School Voter Registration Week
Rutland Herald, VT - May 14, 2007
Voter registration activities will take place in some high schools during this week, and others will use this week to schedule graduation day registration ...
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http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct=us/3-0&fp=465a1f274fb4bc5b&ei=06NaRorRA5GIqwOx7fDWDQ&url=http%3A//toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20070523/NEWS04/705230434/-1/NEWS&cid=0&sig2=bGNKkiM_0eVnHp07AZoYGw
Vote forms, high school diplomas to be bundled
Toledo Blade, OH - May 23, 2007
COLUMBUS - Lucas County high-school graduates will be handed voter registration forms at commencement this year along with their diplomas as part of a ...

Voting, nor its registration, shouldn't be compulsory. Berkley could be sued, especially since it is religious discrimination, some religious sects, after all, forbid members from participating in voting.

but I seriously disagree with the policy. I think decided to vote or to register is still a private matter. Last Summer I took my newly turned 18 year old niece to register and then to lunch as a special event between the two of us (she's the lone Dem in a Republican Household), this type of thing would have infringed on that for me personally and I believe is just wrong. We have an obligation to participate, but we also have the right not to do so if we so choose.

is denied graduation because they refuse to register to vote, the ACLU is going to be on Berkeley like flies on shit, and the policy will be reversed.

patriotism forced on the students. I am amazed Berkeley is doing this.

so i am completely ok with this law. hey, y'know if people didn't want laws like this y'know what they can do? get involved in politics, vote, visit councils, and contact/harass their representatives. politics affects all aspects of your life; this is just a good reminder of the power that can be weilded. i'm all for putting a little fear of god, ahem... the state, in people.

in fact, if i had my druthers, i would have people who didn't register in time for their application for graduation to get publicly flagellated w/ scented shoe laces for taking so long to get off their ass. this might also have something to do with me liking people being publicly whipped...:blush: :spank:

government class gave extra credit to those kids with a voter registration card.

My son was only 16. The teacher made him write an essay for the extra credit. I really didn't think that was fair. Especially since he showed him he had an ACLU card that both Al Gore and Wes Clark had signed, proving he was politically active.