Government : Iowa's next generation is ready – let’s meet them at the polls

By Paul D. Pate, Iowa Secretary of State

Iowa students aren’t sitting on the sidelines, waiting their turn – they are already building our future.

As Secretary of State, I often have the privilege of meeting with high school and college students. I get to travel across the state and meet students on their own turf, at their schools, and I also host many student groups at my office in the Iowa State Capitol, where visitors can see Iowa’s original Constitution from 1857 firsthand. There is a special way that viewing a piece of history like this can connect you to the present and even to our future.

I am constantly impressed by the enthusiasm and passion coming from Iowa students. I maintain this sentiment when I meet with them, but I’d like to emphasize it here, for you. The youth of Iowa are not just leaders of tomorrow – but they are already actively demonstrating leadership today.

In 2019, my office launched a program focused on engaging and activating these young leaders. The Carrie Chapman Catt Award program engages Iowa high school students at an important first step in civic leadership – voter registration. We named it after the legendary Iowan, Carrie Chapman Catt, a national leader in the suffrage movement. There is no better way to honor her efforts to expand voting rights for women than initiatives that encourage our youth to register to vote and engage in the process.

Since the launch, we’ve registered around three to five thousand students to vote each year. That’s more than 25,000 Iowans registered to vote as soon as they are eligible, which in Iowa is age 17.

This is especially important to note, given research showing that when young people receive education on the voting process and are encouraged to register to vote, they are more likely to develop lifelong civic habits. I don’t think I need to illustrate here the importance of engaged, lifelong civic participation and how it positively impacts our democracy as a whole.

Each spring, when we wrap up the high school Carrie Chapman Catt Award program, we are energized by increasing numbers of students registering and participating in our elections. This year is no different. We recently announced the culmination of this year’s award program, in which 122 schools signed up to participate, and 75 were recognized for registering 50, 70, and 90% of eligible students.

As part of these efforts, 5,404 high school students across 61 counties registered to vote during the 2025-2026 school year.

We’ve been so thrilled with the success of the Carrie Chapman Catt Award that we’ve recently initiated a similar program at the collegiate level, challenging colleges in Iowa to get their students registered to vote, prioritize voter education, and increase student turnout during election periods.

The Catt Collegiate Challenge, which launched earlier this year, is in full swing on more than a dozen college campuses across the state. The program mirrors the high school program in many ways but takes it a step further by introducing some healthy competition.

Institutions that demonstrate outstanding commitment to voter registration, voter education, and student turnout are formally recognized by our office for their leadership in advancing civic engagement across the state, and the campuses that achieve the highest voter participation rates in statewide elections receive special recognition at our annual Voter Engagement Summit.

We hosted the 2026 Voter Engagement Summit for college students and faculty last month, and I was, once again, blown away by the enthusiasm, passion, and leadership demonstrated by the young people in attendance. We hosted two separate days of keynotes, panel sessions, and networking opportunities on creative methods and best practices in voter registration and civic engagement. Next year, we will recognize Iowa’s highest performing college institutions with the first-ever Catt Collegiate Awards.

Now is the time for our young people to put that passion and enthusiasm into action.  We are now rapidly approaching the 2026 election season. With the June 2 Primary right around the corner, here’s what you need to know:

• May 13-June 1: Early absentee in person voting available at county auditors’ offices
• May 18: The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail

I feel immense pride when I think of the enthusiasm and passion coming from Iowa’s young people. That passion is exactly what our democracy needs – now let’s turn it into action.

Registering to vote is just the first step. Now is the time for Iowa voters of every age to step up and show up. Voting is not just a fundamental right – it’s the very foundation of our democracy.