Some neighborhood residents and Cal State LA students and staff waited in long lines on election day at the university’s voting center. Still, local residents and several students said they were thankful to have the option of voting on campus.
“It’s so much easier because I don’t have to stress about being late to school or being late to turn in my ballot, so yeah, it was pretty easy,” said Kassandra Diaz, a first-time voter and psychology major.
The election this month that delivered Donald Trump a second term in the White House, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris, largely over economic issues, also saw a potpourri of state ballot measures approved. Those include propositions 2, 4 and 35 to provide funding for school facilities, climate change and Medi-Cal, respectively, and Prop. 36, to increase punishments for certain drug and theft crimes. Votes still need to be counted and made official for several contentious ballot measures that are too close to call such as one to increase minimum wage and limit certain nonprofit healthcare spending.
The voting center on campus, on the third floor of the University-Student Union, had a big turnout with lines during some parts of the day stretching across the third floor balcony and wrapped around the building. Voters interviewed said more poll workers could have helped the line go faster, but it was still fairly efficient.
Nautica Uribe, a computer science major, said since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights has been a key issue on her mind.
Trump’s “campaign is very supportive of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and even though in California, we have it protected, I think it should be a nationally protected issue,” Uribe said, noting that whoever is elected would have a major impact on the rights of women, LGBT communities and more.
Residents in seven states across the United States approved measures to protect abortion rights, according to a recent KFF report and Trump has said on X that he will not force a national ban but will allow states to implement their own policies.
Tu Troung, a social work major at Cal State LA, said the election showed her and other students how impactful each vote is, considering how many people regret not making it to the polls this year.
Truong said: “Even though you are just one voice, your one voice is in the ocean of voices, and so as a collective whole, we matter. We can’t be a collective whole without the parts doing their part.”
