Secretary of State Sam Reed is going back to college – 19 of them next week, to be exact.

Reed’s annual spring tour of college campuses statewide is designed to encourage students to vote and become more engaged in their communities.

Reed will visit Green River Community College on Monday, appearing at 9 a.m. at the Glacier Room, inside the Lindbloom Student Center, 12401 SE 320th St., Auburn.

Students and the public are invited.

GRCC is one of 28 schools he plans to reach throughout the state in the next few weeks. Reed will take part in discussions and connect with the state’s youngest voters, who happen to be the age group with the lowest voter participation rate in Washington.

“It’s important for students to realize their collective voice is powerful and that they need to exercise it through their ballot and through being involved,” Reed said. “A key reason I do this tour is to remind students why their votes make a difference, and to encourage them to take part in their government and community.”

Voters in the 18-24 age group remain by far the least engaged voting bloc in Washington, comprising only 5 percent of the population that took part in the 2010 General Election. The 65-and-over age group made up 24 percent of last November’s voter turnout, followed by ages 55-64 (23 percent), ages 45-54 (21 percent), ages 35-44 (15 percent) and ages 25-34 (11 percent).

“The good news is that we’re seeing a larger percentage of younger people voting than before,” said Reed, in his third term as Secretary of State. “But they’re still lagging behind the other age groups in terms of participating, and we hope to help college students realize why voting should matter to them and how their vote can influence the world around them.”

College Civics Week, organized by the Office of the Secretary of State’s College Civics Program and funded by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), a federal law adopted in 2000 to help with voter education.