There is much at stake for the University of California in today’s special election.
But student involvement has been difficult to maintain because of the timing and content of the propositions that are up for vote, said Jennifer Knox, communications director for the University of California Students Association.
“I think this is a tough election, especially for young people, because there was little prior notice and because the issues are difficult to understand without background knowledge of the state budget situation,” Knox said.
Even for the those who are politically knowledgeable, the issues on the ballot are confusing and difficult to fully understand, said Jesse Melgar, external vice president for the Undergraduate Students Association Council.
“Even the seasoned political junkies are having difficulties understanding what a “˜No’ and a “˜Yes’ vote might mean,” he said.
In addition to the complexity of the issues up for vote, students at many universities, including UC Berkeley and UC Merced, will be taking finals this week, which could put the elections on the back burner, Knox said.
However, the state budget crisis has motivated many students to engage politically and has created a sense of urgency, so these barriers may not impede student voter turnout, Melgar said.
Also, various campus groups have made an effort to encourage students to vote and be informed about the measures they’ll be voting on.
Members of Bruin Democrats have been phone-banking, visiting precincts, and attending debates between candidates for local offices, said Brandon Harrison, the internal vice president of Bruin Democrats.
The organization hosted a debate last month in the Charles E. Young Grand Salon in Kerckhoff Hall between David T. Vahedi and Paul Koretz, two candidates for city council.
“Our No. 1 priority is engaging students in politics and promoting student civic involvement. This campus is so passionate and talented, and we want to take that general conscientiousness and turn it into local awareness,” said Sonya Mehta, a third-year political science student and the events director for Bruin Democrats.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council’s external vice president’s office has also been actively trying to rouse student involvement in the election.
They will be handing out 10,000 voter guides on Bruin Walk today, Melgar said.
But although student groups have been active in encouraging voter participation and supporting local candidates, they have not officially endorsed any of the proposed ballot measures.
“Bruin Democrats has not endorsed any of the proposals because there was disagreement over which proposals to support. We encourage students to take a good look at those because there are good arguments on both sides,” Harrison said.
According to Chancellor Gene Block’s e-mailed statement to UCLA students on Monday, the UC Board of Regents has endorsed Proposition 1A, saying that its passage would secure more adequate state support.
The statement said that if the propositions fail, UC funding would be cut by $321 million, but if the measures pass, funding would be cut by $240 million.
UCSA, however, is concerned about the ability of the propositions to effectively reform the state budget as they are intended to do, according to a statement written by Knox.
The statement said that the propositions were “written in haste without public input or analysis” and would “give future governors new power to make budget cuts without legislative oversight.”