Iowa Secretary of State, Paul Pate, announced last week the 19 schools that qualified for the Carrie Chapman Catt Award this year.

The award is given to Iowa schools that complete voter registration for 90% or more of their eligible students. Receiving the Carrie Chapman Catt Award for the fourth-consecutive year was Lone Tree High School. They are one of five schools that has qualified every year since the Awards inception in 2019. Fairfield High School joined six other Iowa schools who received the award for the first time in 2023. Hillcrest Academy registered 70% of their eligible students, while Wapello Senior High School was recognized for registering at least 50%.

Secretary Pate commended the students and teachers, whose involvement in the Catt Award initiative led to 2,600 high school students registering this year. While presenting Lone Tree with their third award last fall, Pate told KCII, “It’s the starting point. If you want to be in the race you have to register for it. That gives you the ticket to be a part of our democracy. Young people are underestimated in so many ways, but we’ve seen in the last few elections in Iowa the eighteen to twenty-four-year-olds have been voting in record numbers.”

The award is named in honor of Carrie Chapman Catt, a famous Iowa native who was instrumental in securing the passage of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote.