88,000 CA Teens Preregister To Vote; Don't Identify With Party

CALIFORNIA -- Nearly 90,000 teenagers in California have taken advantage of a new program that allows them to preregister to vote, and the majority said they don't align with either Republicans or Democrats. Secretary of State Alex Padilla recently announced that 88,700 16 and 17-year-olds preregistered, with 43 percent, or 38,721, registering with "no party preference."

The others registered as:

• 37.39% (33,165) registered “Democratic”
• 10.36% (9,187) registered “Republican”
• 2.33% (2,065) registered “American Independent”
• 1.56% (1,380) registered “Libertarian”
• 1.03% (917) registered “Peace and Freedom”
• 0.64% (568) registered “Green”
• 0.50% (441) registered “Other”
• 2.54% (2,256) registered “Unknown”

The program, which was launched in September 2016, allows teenagers who pre-register to have their voter registration automatically activated when they turn 18.

“I’ve visited dozens of high schools across California, and students throughout our state have told me they can’t wait to cast their first ballot," Padilla said. "The numbers back them up. But most important is the fact that young adults are digitally savvy and recognize that online pre-registration reflects their expectation of a smooth and convenient means of registration."

Supporters of the program said it will grow electoral participation among California 18-24 year-olds in the coming elections.

To see how each county's teens registered, click here.

--Photo via Shutterstock