Editorial: Your vote matters, here’s why and how to vote

Currently, there are important elections throughout the United States and California for legislative and executive branch positions, as well as voter initiatives, where you get to directly on proposed laws, which affect college students, human rights, the climate and more – making it imperative for all of us to vote. 

There is a feeling among some Gen Z-ers that voting holds little-to-no benefit, or all politicians are the same. This is patently untrue.

Voting allows college students, among all generations, a say in a multitude of issues that are important to us all. 

In California, young voters have historically had the lowest voter turnout rate of any age group in presidential elections. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau only 48% of individuals aged 18-24 years old voted in the 2020 presidential election. 

Let’s all do our part to change this statistic. If you have not registered to vote, you can still vote provisionally, and you can do it on campus, as the Campus Center is an official site for early and Election Day voting. For more information on early voting, visit this site for same-day voter registration.

Elections as a whole are important to the health of a democracy, but in an election that is based on two strikingly different candidates for president, the importance of this election can not be  overstated.

California voters also have numerous important ballot measures, for which your vote can help determine critical state laws affecting marriage equality, rent control, rights for undocumented immigrants and much more. For more information on these voter initiatives, or propositions, visit this site

California, among only half the states in the U.S., has a system by which voters get to have direct influence of lawmaking via the ballot measure system. 

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are this year’s major-party candidates, the former representing the Democratic Party and the latter representing the Republican Party. 

If you are not aware of the stark difference between the two candidates, here’s a little summary: Kamala Harris seeks to create an affordable landscape for the middle- and working classes. Including making college more affordable, lowering taxes for the middle class, and debt relief. She is also a staunch supporter of abortion rights and restoring women’s rights to make their own medical decisions. 

Harris also seeks to lower costs for both Social Security, and healthcare, with multiple initiatives that she would put in place. One of her biggest goals lies within her advocacy for the middle class, as she hopes to help first-time home buyers by providing as much as $25,000 for a down payment on a home.  For more on this candidate, visit  kamalaharris.com/issues

Trump’s policies can be found at donaldjtrump.com/issues. Many of them are in  the service of the wealthiest of Americans.

His initiatives are focused on “purging” undocumented immigrants, and preventing migration into the country. He is expected to support a total abortion ban, potentially starting with banning the use of the abortion pill, which accounts for more than 60% of all abortions in the U.S. He is also touting an anti-trans rights agenda. 

For more on Trump’s policy plans, visit project2025.org

After doing your research, you will learn that this election will have an effect on all of us, with policy plans and changes that affect all of our rights. 

Please consider your value, the rights you have, the rights you hope not to lose, and vote on campus, by mail, absentee if your home is outside of California. 

For more information about where to vote, visit. sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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