A free civic engagement program for high school and college students kicks off Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael.
The Student Elections Ambassadors Program, known as SEAP, will hold its 2026–27 launch from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Elections Department office in Suite 121, 3501 Civic Center Drive. Pizza, activities and a preview of expanded program opportunities are on the agenda, according to a county news release.
Students do not need to be current ambassadors to attend.
"The kickoff is a fun and welcoming way for new students to join SEAP and for returning ambassadors to reconnect and gear up for fall outreach," Marin County Registrar of Voters Natalie Adona said in the release.
The kickoff comes ahead of a packed November ballot. Adona described the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election as featuring a "long ballot" in a July interview with the Marin Independent Journal. All 11 municipal councils have incumbents whose terms are ending, 14 statewide ballot measures are set and potentially more than 20 local measures could join them.
SEAP is a nonpartisan, youth-led program launched in 2018 by a local high school student in partnership with the Elections Department. Ambassadors help with voter registration and pre-registration outreach, organize civic engagement events and share election information from the county and the California Secretary of State's Office.
Since 2018, SEAP students have registered thousands of new and future voters across Marin, according to the county's program page.
The program is open to any student who lives or attends school in Marin County. It is supported by the Elections Department, the League of Women Voters of Marin County and the Marin County Office of Education. Elizabeth Iwamiya coordinates the program.
Participants can earn community service hours, build leadership skills and receive a free League of Women Voters membership. Introductory videos about SEAP are available on YouTube in English and Spanish.
The recommended entrance is the Civic Center's Middle Arch. Free parking is available, and students who ride SMART can walk about 10 minutes from the Civic Center station. An RSVP is requested through the county's online form on the news release page.
