Section 2146.

(a) The Secretary of State shall annually provide every high school, community college, and California State University and University of California campus with voter registration forms. The number of forms shall be consistent with the number of students enrolled at each school who are of voting age or will be of voting age by the end of the year. The Secretary of State shall provide additional forms to any school, free of charge, if so requested by a school.

(b) The Secretary of State shall provide a written notice with each registration form describing eligibility requirements and informing each student that he or she may return the completed form in person or by mail to the elections official of the county in which the student resides or to the Secretary of State.

(c) (1) (A) Every community college and California State University campus that operates an automated class registration system on or before January 1, 2008, shall, through an automated program, in coordination with the Secretary of State, permit students, during the class registration process, to elect to receive a voter registration form that is preprinted with personal information relevant to voter registration by January 1, 2010.

(B) Any community college or California State University campus that does not operate an automated class registration system on or before January 1, 2008, shall, within two years of implementing an automated class registration system, through an automated program in coordination with the Secretary of State, permit students, during the class registration process, to elect to receive a voter registration form that is preprinted with personal information relevant to voter registration.

(2) As soon as a community college or California State University or University of California campus complies with paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may continue, at his or her discretion, to provide the campus with voter registration forms unless the campus requests not to receive the voter registration forms.

(3) The University of California is encouraged to comply with this subdivision.

(d) The Secretary of State shall submit to the Legislature, on or before January 1 of each year, a report on its student voter registration efforts pursuant to this article. This report shall include estimates as to how many voter registration forms were sent to high schools, community colleges, and California State University and University of California campuses, how many voter registration forms were returned, and how many voter registration forms were sent out to students through the automated program described in subdivision (c).

(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that every high school and college student receive a voter registration card with his or her diploma. It is also the intent of the Legislature that every school do all in its power to ensure that students are provided the opportunity and means to register to vote. This may include providing voter registration forms at the start of the school year, including voter registration forms with orientation materials, placing voter registration forms at central locations, including voter registration forms with graduation materials.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 481, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2008.)