Do everyone a favor. On June 5 make sure to vote. Cast it, get it out, rock it, if you must, or throw it away, but by Tuesday, June 5 — that’s Cinco de Junio, research, register and vote.
While it may all seem tedious or procedural, these primaries are prime.
Step 1: Register by May 21
The first thing to do is get registered. Do it online at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.The whole process takes about five minutes. Even the traditionalist can still register at any post office or DMV.
Step 2: Research
Do your election homework. It’s OK to cram.
Here’s how to get informed on the fly. Go to http:/ /www.sos.ca.gov/campaign-lobbying/ to find out where the funding for candidates and ballot initiatives are coming from. See who like-minded organizations support.
If there is race for some judge or dog-catcher that is unknown to all but family, check out his or her record on https://ballotpedia.org. Not everyone has a well-documented past, but what is there may tip the balance. Hold yourself accountable for who is elected.
Five ballot referendums can also directly change state law. Here is a run-down.
Proposition 70 extends the state’s cap and trade program. It has the potential to change how funds for energy projects are spent. Critics say it would give the oil industry a veto in renewable energy laws.
Proposition 72 provides a tax incentive for building rainwater capture systems on houses. In the official voter guide it has no opposition.
Prop 68 issues a $4 billion bond for parks and recreation, environmental protection and other infrastructure. Prop 69 limits how transportation taxes and fees can be spent.
And prop 71 changes the date when the propositions take effect after an election
Some of these issues are unnecessarily confusing. Do a small bit of reading the voter guide to find out what allies and critics say.
Step 3: Vote
This is the most important bit.The young California voter has a lot at stake in the primary. It is the first opportunity to choose among national representatives including senate candidates.
Find the nearest polling location or vote by mail. Make sure to allow enough time in the mail. Get a fun “I Voted” sticker and lord it over friends and family who didn’t.
Then enjoy monitoring the results with the self assurance that at least you did your part.
A vote cast in the state primary has national and international consequence. California has the largest consumer market of any state. Businesses around the world look to California law for their production standards. It’s technology and innovation centers are the envy of nations.
But how does its population fare? California has lowest quality of life in the union according to US News & World Report. Using measures of pollution, air quality and voter participation, the Golden state finished last in their February analysis. If only there were a way to hold state government accountable.
Voting is perhaps the most effective course to change lawmaker behavior. Aside from voting for candidates to run in November, ballot measures impact the issues young voters care about most.
Leaders in Sacramento will be monitoring the demographic shifts in this election. By next year, Millennials and post-millennials are projected to surpass the Boomer generation as the largest American voting bloc according to http://www.pewresearch.org.
The California Research Policy Institute reports California Millenials are more diverse, more willing to pay for public services and more concerned about climate change than their predecessors.
Newcomers face one major obstacle in getting their way. Historically, the youth don’t vote, particularly not off election cycles. There were 62 million eligible Millennial voters as of November, 2016. Of those 35 million actually participated.
New voters are unfamiliar with the election process, but navigating the process need not be overwhelming.
At this point, the college student sighs, ‘so what?’ But these lawmakers and laws determine funding to public colleges, minimum wages, health care laws and whether or not civics are taught — issues for all. State elections also have arguably more impact on day to day life of Californians than national elections do.
Take the first step to becoming a respectable citizen — vote, vote early, and vote in every election while you still can.
