While in school this year, many high school students will have the chance to pre-register to vote. It’s because of a group of about 20 teenagers, who are passionate about politics, and they have formed a new group.

The Western Slope Youth Voter Initiative is a program of Western Colorado Alliance, but it’s run by high school students. The group is spread out over three counties: Mesa, Montrose, and Garfield. The students are in 10 different Western Slope high schools. They have several methods to get students to either pre-register or register to vote. “Tabling, so we’ll hold voter registration drives, where people will willingly come up and choose to register to vote with their government issued identification. And we’ll also be going into classrooms showing videos that we’ve been working on this summer,” said Liliana Flanigan, a Grassroots Democracy Intern with Western Colorado Alliance.

In Colorado, people can pre-register to vote when they turn 16. Those with the Western Slope Youth Voter Initiative hope this gets teenagers thinking about their civic duties. They also mentioned their group is non-partisan. “We don’t care what you’re voting for, or what you’re doing with that vote, but we want your voice to be heard,” said Trigg Hayward, a Grassroots Democracy Intern with Western Colorado Alliance.

Their goal is to register 85% of the senior body populations at the different schools, and the first school to hit that number wins! “Creating a much more civically active environment within our schools. Because currently, a lot of kids my age don’t care about being involved or being educated about what’s happening in our country around us,” said Jonneth Price, a Grassroots Democracy Intern with Western Colorado Alliance.

The group is trying to raise $5,000 by the end of the month, which would cover many of their different expenditures. To donate to their cause, visit this link: https://fundly.com/western-slope-youth-voter-initiative.