"We are honored to receive this recognition," said Dobyns-Bennett High School Principal Dr. Brian Tate. "A special thanks goes to Mrs. Heather Watts and Dr. Andy Irvin for their hard work in boosting voter registration among our students. This achievement was possible due to their strong commitment and collaboration with the school community and our local election commission."

 

Initiated in 2021, the Anne Dallas Dudley Awards focus on increasing voter registration in Tennessee among students who will be 18 or older on or before the next election, per state law, preparing them to become actively engaged citizens. Schools registering 100 percent of eligible students earn the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award. Those registering 85 percent earn silver-level status.

“Congratulations to the students, faculty, and staff at these schools, as well as members of our local county election commissions for their strong commitment and effective partnership in increasing voter registration in their communities,” said Secretary Hargett. “We created this program to encourage eligible Tennessee high school students to register and engage in the electoral process. My hope is that every newly registered student becomes a lifelong voter."

For more information about the Anne Dallas Dudley Awards and other civic engagement efforts through the Tennessee Secretary of State's office, please visit sos.tn.gov/civics.