Governor's Civic Engagement Award

About the Award

The Governor’s Civic Engagement Award is presented by the Pennsylvania Departments of State and Education. The award celebrates the efforts of Pennsylvania high school students to educate, engage and inform their fellow students about how to get involved in the voting process.

Award Distinctions

How do schools earn a Gold or Silver award?

1. Sign up with the PA Department of State.
   We are asking all schools to complete the online registration form if you know that you will hold a registration drive at your school. This way, we can send you important updates about the awards program, and election in general.
2. Run Your Voter Registration Drive
   Plan and execute a voter registration drive at your school. Make a plan to count the number of registrations collected and calculate the percent of eligible students registered at your school.
3. Submit your application for the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award.
   At the conclusion of your voter registration drive, submit your application for the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award using our online form. 
   

How do I calculate the % of eligible students?

The school awards are calculated using the number of students who will be eligible to vote in the spring Pennsylvania primary election.

When calculating the number of eligible students, you may either use the number of students in the senior class as a proxy for the total number of eligible students, or tabulate the number of students who will be eligible to vote on or before the day of the spring primary election.

How can I involve students who may not be eligible to vote?

Students who are not eligible to vote in the  Pennsylvania primary election can still help organize and run voter registration drives and submit their work to the Student Showcase. They can also help educate their peers about the electoral process. The Department of State also offers The Department of State also offers pledge cards that students can complete to say that they pledge to vote once they are eligible.

How do students earn the Student Poll Worker Award?

1. Contact your county election office.
   Contact information is at www.vote.pa.gov/county. Ask the county election office if they employ high school students as poll workers. If they do, submit the necessary information and application materials to the county.
2. Work as a poll worker on election day!
   In order to qualify for the award, you must serve as a poll worker on behalf of your county at a polling place in the November 2021 election.
3. Educators and county officials submit nomination forms.
   Nominations may be submitted by high school educators and county election officials. This year, all nominations must be submitted using our online form. Please note that we request a photo of the student and a signed consent form allowing us to share the student’s name and image publicly. This will allow us to recognize the student in the press and on our website and social media accounts.
   

Please note that in order for the Department of State to use photo, video or audio of students, we need a signed media consent form from each student (signed by a parent or guardian, unless the student is 18). Download a media consent form.

Recognition Events

We will hold recognition events at the conclusion of the school year to celebrate award winners and highlight Student Showcase submissions. If you have registered your school using the online registration form, we will send you information regarding the dates, times and locations of the recognition events. 

Contact

If you have questions, contact the Pennsylvania Department of State at 717-787-5280 or ra-voterreg@pa.gov.

2021-2022 Winners:

Previous Year Winners: