By Destiny Caster
This year, CI is participating in the Ballot Bowl for the 2020 election. The Ballot Bowl is a competition between all the California state colleges and universities to encourage their students to vote.
“This initiative was developed by the California Secretary of State’s Office in partnership with the California Students Vote Project,” said Sophie Nguyen, president of Student Government and senior sociology major.
Two years ago, in 2018, CI had the highest percentage of students registered to vote in all the CSU. “Participating in Ballot Bowl here at CI is to help encourage students to raise their voices by registering to vote,” said vice president of Student Government and junior Chicanx studies and political science major, Emily Quiñonez.
Voting in the United States is very important because your vote, along with others, helps with making decisions in your county or district. Voting for your community is very crucial because one vote can make a difference with the new propositions and elected officials, such as choosing the next mayor or council members. Your vote can make a difference.
In the case of the presidential election, most states have the “winner takes all” system where the popular vote in that state will also become the electoral votes.
“Ballot Bowl is important because it encourages and motivates students to spread the word about registering to vote to their friends, peers and loved ones,” said CI Student Government Director of External Affairs, Beatriz Espinoza. It is an important time for everyone, especially for new voters, because this is the first election they can participate in.
“Since most of us are young, sometimes we do not realize the impact that local and federal elections can have in our communities and education. This should be more of an incentive for everyone to register and vote,” said Espinoza. Even if some people are not eligible to vote, the act of spreading awareness of voting should still be taken into consideration.
Students can participate in the Ballot Bowl by logging into their myCI accounts and clicking the tab labeled “Register to Vote.” Once on the Voter Registration page, you can begin registering yourself by completing all required sections of the form. You will be asked to add your Social Security Number and your Driver’s License number or ID number. Also, understand that your home address and mailing address can be your campus address. Once you complete your registration, you will receive an email confirmation.
For more information, please visit: https://registertovote.ca.gov/?t=s. As Quiñonez said, “Raise your voice and register to vote Dolphins!”
