By Kaleen Luu
The East Los Angeles College Adelante First-Year Experience and Social Science department encouraged students to vote in the midterm election yesterday.
The workshop, “Stakes are High: The Impact of Midterm Elections,” ran from noon to 1 p.m. in multipurpose room F5-201. ELAC Political Science Professors Dr. Kenneth Chaiprasert and Rogelio Garcia took the stage as the featured speakers and the event stressed the power of democracy.
A PowerPoint presentation accompanied the duo and showcased the demographics of past voter participation and previous election turn out.
“It’s an important day, election day. It’s incredibly important for you to have your voices heard in the midterm elections. This determines how our country functions,” said Chaiprasert, who has a doctorate in political science from the University of California, Irvine. “Make your voices heard, do something that makes a difference. This is more than just on the federal level; we are voting on California.”
Highlights from the event included the pair emphasizing the importance of voting and how necessary it was to turn in ballots for the midterm election and not just the presidential election.
“In some ways, the midterm election is more important than the presidential election. This is when we make decisions on propositions,” Garcia said. “With the midterm elections, we can measure the temperature of politics and get an idea of where things are going.… if we don’t go out and vote, then things may not turn out ideally.”
The workshop explained the critical details of the election and went over the big question, “What are we voting for?”
Chaiprasert took the lead on this question and said, “The media keeps focusing on this president, but we must remember it’s Congress and our senators that are the ones writing these laws.”
The significance of this midterm election is rooted in the belief that the House of Representatives may flip from Republican to Democrat control. This is based on the increased voter registration from the youth population.
“We’ve had record breaking registration this election period from the younger generation and we’re hoping this gets reflected in the voter turnout,” Chaiprasert said.
Historically, according to the U.S. Election Project, the youngest voting bracket, ages 18 to 29, have the lowest voter turnout. In addition, the Hispanic demographic is also the lowest.
“We need to go out and vote. We need to elect more diversity. More young people, more women, more people of color,” Garcia said.
Attention to the 2008 and 2012 presidential election voter turnout was raised by Chaiprasert, who noted that it was the only two times in history that the white demographic was surpassed in turnout.
“This is proof that we can do it. We must mobilize together to get what we want. It can happen, and it will happen,” Chaiprasert said.
The issue of California passing Proposition 187 in 1994, “Save our state S.O.S.,” was brought up by Chaiprasert as a scenario of what could happen if people didn’t exercise their right to vote. Prop 187 was controversial because it tried to deny public services like access to health and education to unauthorized immigrants in the state. It was ultimately ruled unconstitutional however by the federal courts as a violation of due process.
“We need your voices heard.Otherwise, it’s like giving Trump a carte blanche, a blank check, to continue with his policies. It would embolden him to do the things he’s been doing for the past two years.” Garcia said. “This time, we can let him know with our vote that we are not happy. Your vote is critical at this time— make your voice heard.”
Another topic touched on was the controversial U.S. and Mexico border wall, and what the midterm election could do to affect it.
“That wall costs money. If we don’t flip the House and it stays red, then they’ll think we’re saying to go along with Trump’s program. We can’t let this go on any further. This is one of the most corrupt administrations in modern history. This is embarrassing and we must take control back. The youth enthusiasm is key,” Garcia said. “You can bring the government to its knees. Remember, the government works for you.”
The idea that Prop 187 had been passed to an overwhelming majority vote as recently as 1994 and the current issue of the border wall was emphasized during the event. The two pushed the importance of the younger generation exercising their right to vote.
“If you don’t vote, your voice is silenced. Our government caters to people who vote. The baby boomer generation are consistently the ones who have the highest voter turnout, so they have been walking all over on you. If you vote, then the government will start thinking about what your generation cares about, like education and global warming,” Chaiprasert said. “Be united. You can come together to create so much change.”
The two closed the event by fielding questions from the audience and urging students to pre-register to vote in the next election.
The workshop, “Stakes are High: The Impact of Midterm Elections,” ran from noon to 1 p.m. in multipurpose room F5-201. ELAC Political Science Professors Dr. Kenneth Chaiprasert and Rogelio Garcia took the stage as the featured speakers and the event stressed the power of democracy.
A PowerPoint presentation accompanied the duo and showcased the demographics of past voter participation and previous election turn out.
“It’s an important day, election day. It’s incredibly important for you to have your voices heard in the midterm elections. This determines how our country functions,” said Chaiprasert, who has a doctorate in political science from the University of California, Irvine. “Make your voices heard, do something that makes a difference. This is more than just on the federal level; we are voting on California.”
Highlights from the event included the pair emphasizing the importance of voting and how necessary it was to turn in ballots for the midterm election and not just the presidential election.
“In some ways, the midterm election is more important than the presidential election. This is when we make decisions on propositions,” Garcia said. “With the midterm elections, we can measure the temperature of politics and get an idea of where things are going.… if we don’t go out and vote, then things may not turn out ideally.”
The workshop explained the critical details of the election and went over the big question, “What are we voting for?”
Chaiprasert took the lead on this question and said, “The media keeps focusing on this president, but we must remember it’s Congress and our senators that are the ones writing these laws.”
The significance of this midterm election is rooted in the belief that the House of Representatives may flip from Republican to Democrat control. This is based on the increased voter registration from the youth population.
“We’ve had record breaking registration this election period from the younger generation and we’re hoping this gets reflected in the voter turnout,” Chaiprasert said.
Historically, according to the U.S. Election Project, the youngest voting bracket, ages 18 to 29, have the lowest voter turnout. In addition, the Hispanic demographic is also the lowest.
“We need to go out and vote. We need to elect more diversity. More young people, more women, more people of color,” Garcia said.
Attention to the 2008 and 2012 presidential election voter turnout was raised by Chaiprasert, who noted that it was the only two times in history that the white demographic was surpassed in turnout.
“This is proof that we can do it. We must mobilize together to get what we want. It can happen, and it will happen,” Chaiprasert said.
The issue of California passing Proposition 187 in 1994, “Save our state S.O.S.,” was brought up by Chaiprasert as a scenario of what could happen if people didn’t exercise their right to vote. Prop 187 was controversial because it tried to deny public services like access to health and education to unauthorized immigrants in the state. It was ultimately ruled unconstitutional however by the federal courts as a violation of due process.
“We need your voices heard.Otherwise, it’s like giving Trump a carte blanche, a blank check, to continue with his policies. It would embolden him to do the things he’s been doing for the past two years.” Garcia said. “This time, we can let him know with our vote that we are not happy. Your vote is critical at this time— make your voice heard.”
Another topic touched on was the controversial U.S. and Mexico border wall, and what the midterm election could do to affect it.
“That wall costs money. If we don’t flip the House and it stays red, then they’ll think we’re saying to go along with Trump’s program. We can’t let this go on any further. This is one of the most corrupt administrations in modern history. This is embarrassing and we must take control back. The youth enthusiasm is key,” Garcia said. “You can bring the government to its knees. Remember, the government works for you.”
The idea that Prop 187 had been passed to an overwhelming majority vote as recently as 1994 and the current issue of the border wall was emphasized during the event. The two pushed the importance of the younger generation exercising their right to vote.
“If you don’t vote, your voice is silenced. Our government caters to people who vote. The baby boomer generation are consistently the ones who have the highest voter turnout, so they have been walking all over on you. If you vote, then the government will start thinking about what your generation cares about, like education and global warming,” Chaiprasert said. “Be united. You can come together to create so much change.”
The two closed the event by fielding questions from the audience and urging students to pre-register to vote in the next election.