The youth vote matters in local elections more than anything! With the June 2 primary election approaching, Citrus College hosted a voter registration and election workshop over Zoom on May 18 to help students better understand the voting process and upcoming statewide elections.
The workshop, organized by the Office of Student Life and Leadership Development, focused on voter registration deadlines, mail in ballots, early voting and general election information for Los Angeles County students.
Students interviewed after the workshop said they believed more outreach is needed to encourage student participation in elections and campus voting events.
“I didn’t even know we had a voting workshop,” said Israel Misraim Acosta, 23, a pre-engineering major planning to transfer to Cal State LA for electrical engineering.
Acosta said his family, specifically his mom, played an important role in helping him learn how to vote for the first time.
Knowing that a majority of kids are only brought on to voting because of their parents. Having a secondary source, such as a workshop to help along the way is a big favor.
Samantha Zurita Osorio, 18,who hopes to transfer into civil engineering, also said she was unaware the workshop was taking place.
Although Osorio said she has not voted before, she showed strong knowledge of the election process, discussing mail-in ballots, statewide elections and candidates she plans to support.
“The youth vote matters,” Osorio said. “A lot more people need to be involved for statewide elections, since those laws apply to us directly.”
According to Tufts University’s Center for Information & Research, “New Data: Nearly Half of Youth Voted in 2024 | CIRCLE” on Civic Learning and Engagement, about 47% of voters ages 18 to 29 participated in the 2024 election. Which, although more than the country’s average and larger than the years in the past, could still be much higher.
Osorio also said students should pay more attention to election information in state elections because decisions in those elections more directly impact younger voters.
“If we don’t do anything they might affect us later,” Osorio said.
She added that Citrus College should continue increasing publicity for workshops and election information because students regularly check school emails for important updates.
The California primary election will take place June 2. According to information distributed by Citrus College, the last day to register to vote online or by mail is May 18.
There is no set date for another voting workshop.
