KIPP school registers 60 students and 220 adults to vote for the first time

A six-week campaign at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in the South Bronx helped 60 high school seniors become first-time voters, just in time for this year’s all-important presidential election.

In a borough that already lags behind the rest of the city in voter turnout, young people are especially underrepresented. Bronx County ranks last in the state in the voter registration rate among 18-year-olds, according to research by The Civics Center, a nonprofit working to increase young adult voter participation. Just 18.6% of 18-year-old Bronx residents are registered to vote compared to 40% of 18-year-olds across the state, the report said.

Schools like KIPP are devoting time and energy to turning those statistics around. The school began its campaign on Sept. 17, which is National Voter Registration Day, and culminated at the start of the early voting period, said Davon Harris, who coordinated the effort.

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