Campus ballot drop box offers students easy way to ‘use their voice’

With just days left until the presidential election on Nov. 5, many California State University, Bakersfield students are taking advantage of the new ballot drop box on campus.

More than 470 ballots had been dropped off at the box - located outside the Student Union - as of last week, according to Associated Students Inc (ASI). Many more are expected to come in over the next few days.

"One year ago, CSUB dedicated a ballot drop-off location right here on campus to eliminate any barrier between our students and their most precious freedom as citizens: the right to vote," said President Vernon B. Harper Jr. "Over the course of that year, scores of Roadrunners have taken the opportunity to use their voice, and I expect that number to soar this election season. I also want to invite all members of the Bakersfield community to drop off ballots right here in our safe, convenient location and see what's happening at Kern County's University."

ASI Vice President of Legislative Affairs Anthonio Reyes believes the ballot box is a great resource for students, faculty and staff, especially as it is one of only six official drop-off locations in Bakersfield outside of the county elections office.

"I think it's amazing. It's a wonderful opportunity for students to have a place so readily available where they can drop off their ballots," he said.

ASI and other groups on campus been working to educate students about the upcoming election through workshops, registration drives, debate watch parties and other events.

Dr. Mark Martinez, political science professor and special assistant to the president, said it can sometimes be a challenge to convince young people that their vote counts and has an impact on them.

"It's quite clear that many younger voters simply don't feel their voice matters, which is unfortunate," he said. "You have older people who are voting who won't be impacted by most of what's on the ballot - it's the younger generations that are going to see the impacts. People are voting on policies that kids today are going to be paying for most of their lives."

Reyes is proud that CSUB doesn't appear to match that trend. In the last general election in 2020, 83% of students registered to vote, according to ASI.

"We've gotten a lot of students who are excited to talk about the election. I think there's just a lot of barriers for them," he said.

For many students, the 2024 election is their first experience with voting and they may not know some of the basics about how government and voting works. Reyes said the main concern he's hearing from students is that they feel they don't know enough about what's on the ballot outside of the presidential race.

"The issue is getting them to care about the local and state elections. I think that's where a lot of the struggle is," he said. "I've had people ask me if another ballot was going to come in for local elections. That surprised me, because it never crossed my mind that would be a concern, that they didn't realize it was all on the same ballot."

That's why Reyes believes making voting information and resources readily available to students is critical to boosting turnout. He would like to see even more voter-related programming on campus for future elections.

"I urge students to think about their neighbors, their families and their community," he said. "These local elections are super impactful and deal directly with our lives. This is how we fund our schools, our streets. This is how power structures in our communities are made. That change happens with us."

Another reason both Reyes and Dr. Martinez believe it's important to vote is because there are many people who would like to but are unable to, for various reasons.

"One of the reasons you vote is because you are a voice for those who can't," Dr. Martinez said.

Reyes said he grew up around a lot of undocumented immigrants and that it "struck me as more responsibility on my end to make sure I use my vote to the best of my ability."

Dr. Martinez said the ballot box on campus is a great way to show students that their input is valued and that they have a role to play in the election.

"The greater access to voting, the better off we all are," he said. "It's the language, the lifeblood of democracy. It's how you tell people what your values are and what's important to you. When people stop voting, that's when democracies start to die."

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