Michelle Garakian passes out campaign signs and speaks to Los
Angeles residents and business owners for about 20 hours each week
without pay. She says it’s fun.
A third-year political science student, Garakian campaigns for
incumbent Mayor James Hahn two days every week in an effort to tell
residents about Hahn and why she feels people should support him in
the upcoming city elections.
“We come down from our busy lifestyles and volunteer our
time to talk with other people and try to get their vote,”
Garakian said.
Garakian is one of many UCLA students who volunteer their time
and effort to campaigns in preparation for the March 8 citywide
elections. Students working on mayoral campaigns and ballot
initiatives balance classwork and political activism.
Volunteers such as Garakian help determine the outcome of city
elections, Hahn said.
“Every political campaign depends on the energy of people
who come in. There’s nothing like the personal touch for a
campaign,” the mayor said.
It’s been three months since Garakian began volunteering
as an intern on Hahn’s re-election campaign, and she
doesn’t regret a single Tuesday or Saturday she has given up
to what she believes to be a good cause ““ a stark contrast to
the political apathy of many other students.
“I’m working for not just a great candidate but for
a great city. I grew up here and have seen every facet of the city
change,” Garakian said.
Every time she goes into the office, she does her share of
“phone banking,” calling various precincts and getting
in touch with members of the community ranging from high school
groups to typical community residents.
Garakian visits nearby senior centers and talks to business
owners to convince them to support Hahn and help put up signs in
front of their shops.
Though the work is difficult and long, she said there have been
many rewarding experiences.
“Last Tuesday I called a household, and this woman picked
up and went through an entire spiel. She burst out,
“˜Absolutely you have my support!’ and told about how we
had just visited her daughter’s high school and spoke about
Mayor Hahn,” Garakian said.
While at the campaign headquarters, Garakian has come into
contact with USC students but said they put their “rivalries
behind us for one collective effort for Mayor Hahn.”
Working in the office has given her the opportunity to meet the
incumbent mayor and learn about the person in charge of running the
city.
“He’s a really down-to-earth guy and just stops in.
He’ll do two hours of phone banking and then go to the
fridge, get a Diet Coke, and talk to us on a first-name
basis,” Garakian said.
Though students such as Garakian are working to make a
difference in the city elections, other UCLA students know little
about the upcoming election.
“I’m not that involved because I have other
activities such as water polo,” said Courtney Mathewson, a
first-year undeclared student.
Mathewson explained that being involved in many campus
activities on top of dealing with academics has placed a time
constraint on her, limiting the number of additional activities she
is able to take on.
But candidates say the student vote will be crucial in the March
8 election.
“In the end, voter turnout will be around 35
percent,” said mayoral candidate Ted Crisell, emphasizing the
need for students to get involved in the elections.
A few campus groups such as Bruin Democrats have seen
presentations from representatives of mayoral candidates in an
attempt to learn more about the city elections.
“We’ve had representatives from the Hahn,
Villagarosa, Parks and Hertzberg campaigns come in and speak to us
and try to educate the members on the differences on the
candidates,” said Kristina Doan, president of Bruin
Democrats.
The Bruin Republicans are also taking an active role in learning
more about the political process through such events as the
political debate held between them and Bruin Democrats on Tuesday
night.
Other students gave a wide variety of reasons for not being more
involved in the city’s election process.
“America is a very special country, but I do not know much
about what is happening in Los Angeles,” said Haruki
Yokoyama, a fourth-year international development studies
student.
He cited the difficulties of being a foreign exchange student
and not being well informed about the American political
process.
For others, though they have grown up learning about the
importance of voting in the democratic process, they have recently
moved into the Los Angeles district and have yet to acclimate to
the city’s political happenings.
“I don’t really know all the facts since I’m
from San Francisco,” said Constance Dillon, a first-year
English student.
Dillon said it was unfortunate that people were not more
informed and that they needed to get out of the “UCLA
bubble” students live in.
She also said some students avoided political discussion so that
they wouldn’t have to get into debates with people in which
they were “discouraged and put down.”
Others said the solution to getting more students involved was
to advertise and inform people more on a daily basis.
“If they were more hands-on, I’d be more involved.
They’d definitely make an impact if they were in your
face,” said Mark Dedikyan, a third-year psychology
student.
“We’re not that aware, but once you think about it,
it’s rather important.”