Report: Colin Kaepernick has never registered to vote

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick speaks after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 23-20. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick speaks after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 23-20. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Photo: Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Photo: Ross D. Franklin, Associated Press Image 1 of / 35 Caption Close Report: Colin Kaepernick has never registered to vote 1 / 35 Back to Gallery

49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick may be the focus of an American political movement, but he has never been a voter, according to records obtained by The Sacramento Bee.

The Bee reports that Kaepernick, who grew up in Turlock, has not registered to vote anywhere in California since reaching the legal voting age in 2005. Nor did Kaepernick register in Nevada during his time as a college student in that state.

Kaepernick made no secret of his decision not to vote in last week's presidential election, telling reporters, "I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote. I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression. I'm not going to show support for that system."

It had not previously been revealed that the quarterback skipped all elections, including the the 2008 and 2012 elections of the nation's first black president.

Beginning this preseason, Kaepernick became the focus of a national debate on free speech and race relations when he refused to stand for the national anthem during NFL pregame festivities in protest of police shootings.

"To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way," Kaepernick said after the protest gained attention in August. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Video: President Obama addresses Colin Kaepernick's activism

Athletes from the prep school level to the pros followed Kaepernick's lead. President Obama, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and others have since offered their analysis of the merits of the protest.