With finals approaching and the student government elections
just passed, students’ interest in the upcoming primary
elections may be reserved for the gubernatorial race.
There is a perception among students, as well as among people
statewide, that senate and congressional elections are not
particularly relevant to their lives.
But voter apathy among students may contribute to politicians
neglecting student issues.
Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of political science, said one reason
students may want to vote in district elections is because most
elected officials do not believe they will and do not take
students’ opinions into account when supporting
legislation.
“When (legislators) think about who they’re
representing, they don’t necessarily think about students too
much,” he said.
“They’re mostly thinking about making the parents
happy rather than making the students happy. If students did turn
out in greater numbers, state legislators would pay more attention
to them.”
But Matthew Diaz, a second-year mathematics student, said he
believes the initial lack of attention from politicians causes
apathy.
“I do not vote because several of the policies don’t
apply to me specifically,” Diaz said, adding that he did vote
in the recent Undergraduate Students Association Council elections
because he believes they impact his life as a student.
Voter statistics released by the California Secretary of State
Department have shown that in addition to the low turnout of voters
among the 18-30 age group, the entire state of California has low
voter turnout, especially for midterm elections.
Statistics show that 60 days prior to the primary election this
year, 68.8 percent of eligible voters were registered.
In 2002 at the same mark, 71.03 percent of eligible voters had
registered.
The upcoming elections will determine the new officials in the
California state Assembly, which is made up of 80 members who serve
two-year terms and the state Senate is compromised of 40 members
who serve four-year terms.
The state assembly member who currently represents state
Assembly District 47, which includes UCLA, is Democrat Karen
Bass.
She will be vying for re-election on June 6 against Republican
candidate Jeffers MacArthur Dodge.
On her Web site, Bass states that supporting public education is
her first priority, and that she will seek to improve public
education and lessen the achievement gap for students in California
public schools.
Bass specifically said that she will fight against vouchers, a
measure her opponent has said he supports.
The site also says Bass will work to fix the state’s
budget problems by closing corporate tax loopholes and reinstating
the upper income tax bracket, as well as seeking other sources of
income.
According to Dodge’s Web site, he will work with community
leaders to achieve lower taxes, less government regulation, school
choice and a safe, secure place to live.
Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, represents state Senate
District 23, which includes UCLA. She is currently in the middle of
her second term as a state senator.
Ruth Obel-Jorgensen, the organizing and communications director
of University of California Students Association, said it is
important for students to vote in the election so that their voices
are heard by the legislators.
“We definitely are encouraging students to get involved in
the electoral process because students turning out to vote puts
student issues on the agenda of our legislators,” she
said.
She added that this is the appropriate time for students to step
up because of the ongoing debate over the affordability crisis.
If students become an active voting bloc candidates will be more
likely to consider their needs.
“In some UC districts, the legislators may sit on the
higher education committee or the budget committee, or they could
urge other legislators who are on the committees. It’s very
important that we have those representatives and we need to hold
them accountable,” she said.