Students show apathy toward local elections
By Lucy Benz-Rogers
Feb. 10, 2009 9:00 p.m.
With the 2008 presidential election months in the past and President Barack Obama in office, students are now facing another election: the Los Angeles city elections in March.
But many students say that, while they voted in the presidential election, they have little interest in local city politics and are not planning on voting.
“I really don’t know much about the city because I just moved here,” said third-year psychology student Maryam Rastegar, who is originally from San Diego. “The presidential election is more universal because I don’t think I’ll be living here forever.”
Still, with a total population of nearly 40,000 students, faculty and staff, UCLA’s voters have a huge potential impact.
“Numerically the impact is gigantic,” said Ryan Enos, a graduate student studying political science.
Enos said that, especially in a smaller-scale city election, the ability of student voters to impact the election is great and that student voters are the ones with the greatest interest in Westwood issues.
“That one vote counts for more,” Enos said. “And in that sense if you take the whole student population of UCLA, … that is a big portion.”
Enos also said that students have the unique advantage of being easily mobilized since they tend to live in concentrated areas, interact daily on campus, and use social networking tools such as Facebook. These factors should theoretically help them overcome voter apathy and strengthen their impact on the election.
Still, as Rastegar and other students said, there are many obstacles that prevent them from becoming more involved in local city politics.
One of the main reasons is the transitory nature of the student population.
“Because I grew up (in San Diego), I don’t really feel I have a connection personally to the Los Angeles area except for coming to school here,” said first-year environmental science student Vianney Vargas.
Another concern is the complexity of the breakdown of L.A. politics, said Enos and political science Professor Mark Sawyer.
“L.A. city politics are … very confusing, in particular because the political boundaries are very confusing,” Sawyer said.
Students said that they often feel overwhelmed and uninformed by the complexity of city politics in Los Angeles.
“I haven’t been following it. A lack of research and a lack of knowledge has kept me from getting involved in it,” said third-year theater student Nicholas Tubbs, who said he is registered to vote in Los Angeles but is originally from Sonoma County in Northern California. “I think, because (Los Angeles is) such a dense area and there are so many people here, that it’s hard to follow and see what’s going to directly affect this area.”
Arezou Babaesfahani, a third-year psychobiology student, said that even though she is registered to vote in Los Angeles and considers this her home now after moving from Orange County, she does not plan to vote in the upcoming city election because she feels uninformed.
“I don’t like to just vote; I really want to be well-educated about the issues,” she said. “(In) Los Angeles in general, I feel very small and insignificant.”
Still, said Enos, students need to realize the importance of local issues in impacting their college experience. Westwood is a part of City Council District 5 and both the seats of councilmember and mayor are up for election, giving students an opportunity to determine their local representation.
Some continual concerns of students include parking laws and ordinances regarding nightlife in Westwood, both of which are managed by the city council.
“These local elections have a much greater impact on people’s daily lives than is often realized,” Enos said.
Vargas said she still follows San Diego politics, though she was forced to reregister in Los Angeles after she missed the deadline to submit an absentee ballot for the presidential election. She said she does not plan to vote in the upcoming city election.
Indeed, many students stay registered in their home communities, whether for convenience or involvement in politics back home.
First-year biology student Elaine Ho said she registered to vote in her home town of Cupertino in Northern California before coming to UCLA and simply finds it more convenient than reregistering in Los Angeles.
Ultimately, Sawyer said, students need to decide for themselves whether they believe their vote can have more of an impact in Los Angeles or in their home communities and where they feel the most politically aware and invested.
“It depends on where you tend to pay attention or focus your politics,” he said.
No matter where they are registered, Sawyer added, students should get involved in politics.
“I think the last presidential election showed that students, younger people, can make a difference. They should make voting a part of their regular routine when elections come up,” he said.
