In summary
California’s college students represent a wide array of ages, ethnicities, lived experiences and political beliefs. Seven voters who attend a California college shared their perspectives with CalMatters on the issues that matter to them as some vote in local, state and national elections for the first time.
California colleges enroll over 2 million undergraduate students in a given academic year spanning the forests of Arcata to the beaches of La Jolla. While Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is widely expected to secure her home state of California’s electoral votes, students enrolled at California’s colleges are making important choices on other national, statewide and local races on their ballot.
The CalMatters College Journalism Network spoke to college students about what issues are important to them and how pursuing higher education has informed their perspectives. Some students are voting for the first time, some have been voting for a long time, some are using their vote to protest and some aren’t voting at all. Here’s what’s important to seven college voters from across California.
Tracy Tran, 21
Fourth year
Public Health major
UC Irvine
Tracy Tran, a first-time voter in a presidential election, hasn’t filled out their ballot yet but has already researched and planned out their voting decisions. Since Tran doesn’t discuss politics at home often due to disagreements with family members, they find resources like the CalMatters voter guide helpful in understanding issues on the ballot and informing their vote.
While in college, Tran says they’ve tended to surround themselves with people of similar political perspectives but also challenged themselves to hear from all sides.
“I think it’s taken me a little bit more effort to try and really listen to all sides of the argument,” Tran said.
Some issues important to them while voting include abortion, education, immigration and the Israel-Hamas war. Specific propositions that stand out to Tran are Proposition 6, a constitutional amendment that would eliminate indentured servitude in California prisons, and Proposition 33, which proposes allowing local governments to implement rent control policies.
“There was one proposition that basically abolishes slavery, like for real in California, by making an amendment that’s related to involuntary servitude for prisons,” Tran said. “I think that stood out to me because I was like, finally something is happening.”
As a public health major involved in research and a health justice internship with the Young Women’s Project in Washington, D.C., these experiences have shaped Tran’s understanding of health care, which is also on the ballot.
“Having that background information in terms of what it means to have, like, Medi-Cal being covered permanently and those kinds of things, it definitely helps for me to have more familiarity with those subjects,” they said.
– Camelia Heins
Diego Roman, 20
First Year
Urban Planning major
Santa Rosa Junior College
Diego Roman, a first-time voter in a presidential election, voted as soon as his vote-by-mail ballot arrived. Then he took three friends who had filled out their mail-in ballots to drop off their ballots.
“I’m Puerto Rican of Puerto Rican descent, so we’re in a very politically precarious situation,” he says. Puerto Ricans who live in the mainland United States can vote in presidential elections, while those living in Puerto Rico cannot.
A comedian’s remarks about Puerto Rico being a floating island of garbage at a recent Trump rally “lit a fire underneath Puerto Rican voters,” Roman said. He found the comments jarring, especially for a campaign that’s trying to win over Hispanic voters and thinks they will hurt the Trump campaign.
Roman said it’s important to vote, even if someone is uncertain about which candidate to choose, because voters influence policy in local and national elections. Of all the propositions on the ballot this election, Proposition 33 on rent control stood out to him the most. Florida, where he lived before moving to California two years ago, does not provide rent control. As a student who lives in the dorms, rent control may not directly impact Roman. However, the vast majority of students live off campus and rent control “would help to keep them from starving or spending most of their paycheck on rent,” he said.
As a child of a parent in the military, Roman has lived in four states, a U.S. territory and Germany. When his family moved to the United States, his parents took that as the signal that they should discuss politics openly and inform themselves about the various propositions. Roman describes his mother as an independent thinker who critiques both parties, which taught him to think about issues from different angles.
Roman, who is studying urban planning at Santa Rosa Junior College, says being in college has affected his views in ways he didn’t expect, “because there’s so many different perspectives out here.” In college, he is constantly meeting new people in the dorms, his classes and the Political Science Club where he’s having conversations that help him better understand how the propositions would impact the community and state.
“There are stimulating conversations, especially since we’re in an election year right now,” Roman said. “Talking about it, understanding the election, seeing what’s going on, is a really, really big thing in all of these classes.”
This election, Roman is most concerned about democracy — he feels that people both take democracy for granted and don’t recognize how easy it would be to lose it.
– Amy Elisabeth Moore
Linda Piera, 68
Returning student
Undeclared major
Los Angeles Pierce College
Linda Piera is experienced in political activism. Over the years, Piera has gone door-knocking for progressive candidates and protested for environmental issues. But this election, she said she feels a renewed encouragement — brought on by taking a community college political science class full of young people who are informed and passionate.
“It makes me a little more hopeful than I have been, being an older person, that if young people in the class take over management of our institutions, there will be hope,” Piera said.
The retired physical therapist cast her ballot by mail well before election day, and she voted for Vice President Kamala Harris. Although Piera said Harris “wouldn’t be ideologically my first choice,” she added that, in the current electoral system with two major parties, she wanted to vote for Harris.
“I feel very strongly that it is important for a functioning democracy, for everyone to do the bare minimum of voting,” Piera said.
The items on the ballot that motivate Piera most are local and state issues. She said she especially cares about trying to pass Proposition 33, which would allow local governments to impose rent control, and Proposition 35, which would make permanent a tax on managed health care plans and raise more money for Medi-Cal.
“In order to prevent a collapse and ensure that people’s health care needs are met, and I do believe health care is a right, not a privilege, there has to be secure funding,” Piera said. “Of course, other things could be done too, but this is a worthy first step to secure the funding. I feel very strongly for Prop 35.”
– Delilah Brumer
Aadi Mehta, 20
Third year
Political Science and Communication major
Cal Poly Pomona
As a California native and the child of immigrants from India, many would expect Aadi Mehta to be similar to many Californians in their political views, but he is a proud young conservative who voted in person prior to election day in his first presidential election.
“I find that sometimes sticking out and being sort of the outlier, it’s not a problem at all,” said Mehta. “There’s a lot of pressure for conservatives, especially not only on this campus, but in California in general, to kind of get in line with more of the dominating liberal standpoint.”
This pressure is what drives him to run the Republican Club on his campus. He says that it allows him to meet like-minded people as well as foster discussions between political ideologies across the spectrum. He explained that some of his views were solidified once he went to college.
Coming from what he describes as a politically “split household,” he was encouraged to embrace traditional American values but saw his family choose different candidates each election.
“Growing up, you don’t really have an understanding of who you really do believe in, or what your beliefs are,” said Mehta. “You kind of are slowly developing that as you get older. You know, if you asked me 10 years ago which party I aligned with, I couldn’t give you an answer, because I wouldn’t know.”
Mehta is passionate about how his vote can impact the economy, immigration and foreign policy. He also said it’s important to understand how the United States is handling international conflict. He believes these issues have the potential to bring Americans together and drive people to make the final decision about who to vote for.
He shared that he doesn’t always agree with Donald Trump, and admits that although some of his rhetoric is false, he believes in his policies. He argues that a strong character can get a candidate to the White House, but may not lead to a successful record.
“We need someone who has the experience of being tough, someone who has already proven on these critical issues that he’s done a good job,” Mehta said.
– Victoria Mejicanos
Yana Ross, 50
Studying Native Studies, Native American Studies, Art Studio, Natural Resources and Communications
Santa Rosa Junior College
Yana Ross, a 50-year-old student at Santa Rosa Junior College, says she will “definitely vote,” even though she thinks “the two-party system isn’t the greatest” and the electoral college is unfair. It’s a historic opportunity to vote for a woman of color, she says.
She’ll vote for Kamala Harris because “Trump was one thousand times worse, and (his) administration was one thousand times worse, especially for Indian people.” Ross is concerned because “Trump is very anti-Indian” and fears that “he wants the Supreme Court to destroy our sovereignty.”
Ross is an enrolled citizen with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which comprises Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok. She is also Mishawapo and part white. She says her mother raised her to understand political issues and how decisions made by other people affected her, her family, and her people.
“I’m Native American. There’s a diversity among Native Americans, and I think that’s what makes our community and our country strong, and, ultimately, why I think participating in democracy is worth it, even though it’s very challenging,” she said.
Because she thinks it’s “especially important to vote locally,” Ross wants other students to feel empowered to participate. “It really makes a difference and these measures do affect real people. I don’t know that that message always carries across.”
Ross thinks it would be a setback if Proposition 4, the climate bond, doesn’t pass. She supports the bond because the approach brings together different groups to work together for climate change. “Prop. 4 supports working with tribes and Cal Fire, it works to save drinking water, to do good land management practices and stewardship, to address sea level change, to help some wetlands, which help with the sea level rise.” Ross explained that the bond will support wildfire projects and make it possible for “Cal Fire to do a more prescribed fire, which is a traditional ecological practice by Native Americans, that people are finally getting hip to.”
Ross is also concerned about the fallout after the election. She is part of the Student Leadership Council that is working with the administration to anticipate anything that may arise out of the elections. “(We are) trying to anticipate any outcome, because there’s a lot of issues at stake. There’s a focus on really making sure that we’re protecting our trans students, who are on the front lines of the hate mongering, (and) also our undocumented students who were really attacked during the last Trump election and really targeted.”
Ross sees a greater awareness and more ways to care and build community, noting that her campus “has been rolling that out and creating all of these avenues for us to process what it is to be in democracy.”
On Wednesday, student leaders are planning to offer spaces where students can process their emotions by making zines, talking with counselors, meeting with community organizations, and engaging in self-care activities.
– Amy Elisabeth Moore
Yasmine Dmeiri, 23
Third year
Art Studio and History major
University of California, Davis
As a Palestinian and Filipino American, voting is more than a civic duty for Yasmine Dmeiri – it is a moral dilemma.
“I’m pretty frustrated since both main party candidates are supporting genocide of my people,” Dmeiri said. “We’re in this situation where we have to kind of pick between the lesser of two evils which I’m tired of having to do. I’m pretty frustrated because of the system and how it’s built. It’s as if you don’t have any other option.”
As the death toll rises in Gaza, Dmieri doesn’t feel represented by former President Donald Trump’s or Vice President Kamala Harris’ pledges to continue military funding to Israel. To protest, she plans to vote for Jill Stein of the Green Party, her second time voting for a third-party candidate in a presidential election.
Still, for Dmeiri, the fear remains of what a Trump presidency could result in. Trump’s anti-Palestinian rhetoric, such as using “Palestinian” as an insult in his June debate with Biden, concerns her, along with stances on other key issues for Dmeiri.
“I feel privileged that I live in California because it is a blue state, so my vote almost always relies on California voting blue. I feel like if I lived in a swing state, it would have been a different story,” Dmeiri said.
As Dmeiri navigates her feelings of grief and unease this election cycle, she wishes for people to practice empathy as they cast their ballots this election.
“I wish people could open their minds and hearts and put themselves in other people’s situations and ask themselves, ‘How would I feel if this was happening to me,’” Dmeiri said.
– Khadeejah Khan
Daniel Zhao, 19
Second year
Prospective Politics and Economics double major
Pomona College
With a conservative mother and liberal father, Daniel Zhao has learned to approach politics with an open mind. He grew up in the Riverside County town of Eastvale, California, which he describes as a “purple city” due to its mesh of people with various political party affiliations.
“I think the most important thing that I remember, and that most of my family embodies, is that it’s OK to be wrong. It’s OK to have an argument with someone, to realize, hey, maybe what I was thinking isn’t necessarily what’s going on,” Zhao said. “[I] definitely grew up in a very supportive household, that was very open to political dialog and discourse and I think that’s made me who I am today.”
Though keeping an eye on the national stage, Zhao said statewide issues and local elections are his top priorities this election cycle. He stated that the economy and crime are two of the most pressing issues of this election, specifically noting California propositions 33 on local rent control and 36 on criminal penalties as crucial ballot initiatives.
While Zhao has had luck finding friends with whom he can openly discuss politics, he says it’s challenging to find others willing to engage in dialogue with differing viewpoints at Pomona College.
“Going to a small liberal arts school in Southern California, you realize very quickly that it definitely is an echo chamber,” he said. “There’s definitely a solid group of students who are, I’d say, politically moderate, if not right-leaning that just feel like there is no safe space for them to express their opinions.”
– June Hsu
Moore, Brumer, Mejicanos and Hsu are College Journalism Network fellows. Heins and Khan are contributors with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.