As delegates and visitors milled around the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday, UCLA students volunteered at candidate booths, handed out fliers for California Young Democrats and listened attentively to candidate speeches.
As members of California Young Democrats and Bruin Democrats, 37 students attended the California Democratic Convention as youth delegates.
Though the presidential elections are more than a year away, students are already becoming involved in the election process by attending conventions and participating in on-campus groups designed to foster political awareness.
Kyle Kleckner, issues director for the Bruin Democrats, said he believes student participation is essential since issues such as student fee and tuition increases are often not addressed by presidential candidates.
“You can’t expect your life to improve as a college student if you don’t get out there and make your voice heard,” he said.
While some students had the opportunity to participate in the state convention, some politically minded students participate in political party events year round.
Brittani Yriarte, a second-year political science student, said she regularly participates in conventions and events thrown by conservative interest groups such as the Young America’s Foundation.
In late February, Yriarte, a member of the Bruin Republicans, attended the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Almost half of the participants were college students and the event was meant to get students excited about the upcoming election, Yriarte said.
“It’s designed to inspire and motivate us on conservative ideals,” she said.
Though Yriarte has been able to attend conferences outside of California, the Bruin Republicans try to find ways to help students become involved more locally, Jennifer Propper, marketing director for the Bruin Republicans, said.
Propper said several Bruin Republicans are set to attend the upcoming debate between Republican presidential hopefuls at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.
Kleckner said though members of the Bruin Democrats were in attendance at the convention, much of what the group does is focused on getting students involved on a day-to-day level.
In addition to hosting Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards at UCLA, the Bruin Democrats host weekly events where they discuss issues as well as candidates they think will be important in 2008, Kleckner said. To help students see alternative perspectives on important political issues, the group also hosts a quarterly debate with the Bruin Republicans.
Undergraduate students are not the only ones creating groups to help young people become politically aware.
Jamison Power, a second-year law student and member of the Democratic Law Students Association at the UCLA School of Law, said he believes political student organizations are important because students are often interested in politics but do not know how to get involved.
“People want to be involved but they don’t know … who’s out there, what’s out there,” Power said.
Teddy Andrews, a first-year law student and member of the Democratic Law Students Association, said it can be more difficult for young people to get involved with the political system when they do not necessarily know how long they will be tied to a particular community.
“Young people are transient. It’s harder to get involved if you don’t live there,” he said.
But regardless of the length of a student’s stay at UCLA, Yriarte said she believes it is important for young people to be active in the political process.
“Politics are important since they affect everything from national to student issues,” she said. “It’s your job to be involved in the political process as an informed student.”