The South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) board of trustees approved resolutions at its September 24 meeting in support of two initiatives appearing on the November 2020 ballot: Propositions 16 and 18.
California State Assembly Member Kevin Mullin, who was in attendance with his father, former Assembly Member Gene Mullin, said the SSFUSD school board was the first of any elected body to publicly endorse Prop 18.
“It’s appropriate, because this is where the idea started,” said Assembly Member Mullin.
According to Mullin, his father, who taught government and civics at South San Francisco High School for almost 33 years before being elected to the state assembly, first sponsored a bill in 2004 to allow teenagers to vote in primary elections, if they turn 18 before a general election.
“His goal was to get his students out of the classroom to city council meetings, school board meetings, county supervisor meetings, so they could see local government at work and also see how they can impact government.”
Gene Mullin thanked the board for it support and said it was the right resolution at the right time, noting the number of years it has taken to successfully translate this idea into a state ballot initiative.
“This has been my passion and that of the social studies department at South San Francisco High School for almost 50 years to engage young people in the voting process with the knowledge that once you register and vote you are mostly likely to become a lifetime voter,” said the elder Mullin. “Allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the general election helps to engage high school seniors in issues and candidates knowing most can exercise their franchise at the ballot box.”
In a separate resolution, the school board also endorsed Proposition 16, which would restore affirmative action in California’s government agencies and public institutions by effectively repealing Proposition 209, which was passed in 1996.