UCLA student organizations are encouraging political participation as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

Los Angeles residents will vote in multiple races, including governor, attorney general and mayor, Nov. 3. Voters will also decide on the outcomes of 14 statewide ballot propositions and 10 county ballot measures.

Students registered to vote in California can cast their ballot at any of the four vote centers on campus and in Westwood, located in Ackerman Union, De Neve Plaza and the Hammer Museum.

Emily Hernandez, a member of the state relations team for the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s external vice president’s office, said in a written statement that the office posted on Instagram to remind students to register to vote by Oct. 19 and to remind out-of-state students to check their state requirements. She added that she is working on a nonpartisan voter guide on candidates and ballot measures for the EVP’s office.

“We’re hoping to send out a voter pamphlet guide where we explain and break down each issue and how it could possibly affect students,” Hernandez, a third-year international development studies student, said in an interview. “We’re also planning on making that in different languages, just in case students want to share it with their friends and family.”

Lana Veneziano, the co-president of Students United for Reproductive and Gender Equity at UCLA and a fourth-year psychobiology student, said her club has implemented “commit to vote” cards to encourage its members to vote.

Club members write their name and address on the cards and indicate if they commit to vote. SURGE sends the cards to its parent organization, Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, which mails them back to students before the midterm elections.

Amelia Abell, a fourth-year neuroscience student, added that SURGE members encourage students to vote when tabling on campus.

Political organizations, including the Young Democratic Socialists of America at UCLA, are also encouraging students to vote in the upcoming elections. Representatives from Bruin Republicans and Bruin Democrats did not respond to interview requests.

YDSA outreach coordinator Renata De Leon, a third-year labor studies and political science student, said YDSA’s members have done text-banking and canvassing for Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidates. YDSA also hosted DSA-endorsed candidates – including Angela Gonzales-Torres and Colin Hernandez, who are running for the United States House of Representatives and the California State Assembly, respectively – at their general body meetings.

“We also have students in our club vote on who they want to see in a general body meeting, so some days we could have someone like Angela Gonzales-Torres come in, or some days we just do political education on candidates and propositions that are coming up,” said YDSA co-chair Michelle Markosyan.

Markosyan, a third-year labor studies and political science student, said more students have been willing to sign up for canvassing and text-banking opportunities as the election gets closer.

“Students have been asking me if there’s any opportunities for them to get involved with local campaigns in politics because they want to know what’s going on, and they also want to impact the way that our Westwood politics change,” she said.