“Congratulations to the Cumberland Gap High School students, faculty and staff and the Claiborne County Election Commission for earning our Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Award,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “I appreciate their participation in our Anne Dallas Dudley Award program because our state and nation are stronger when all eligible voters participate in the electoral process.”

The Secretary of State’s office launched the Anne Dallas Dudley Award program for the 2021-2022 school year to promote voter registration among Tennessee high school students. High schools that registered 100 percent of the eligible students earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award. High schools that registered at least 85 percent of the eligible students earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award.

All Tennessee public, charter, private or home school association can participate in the Anne Dallas Dudley Award program. This year 18 Tennessee high schools in 12 counties earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award. Eighteen high schools representing 13 counties earned the Anne Dallas Dudley Silver Level Award.

The award is named in honor of renowned Tennessee suffragist Anne Dallas Dudley who helped lead the successful effort to get the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified. On Aug. 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th and final state needed to give women the right to vote.

The Anne Dallas Dudley Award is part of the Secretary of State’s civics engagement initiative to increase voter registration in Tennessee and prepare students to be actively engaged citizens. For more information about the Anne Dallas Dudley Award and other civic engagement efforts from the Tennessee Department of State, visit sos.tn.gov/civics.