To David Gutierrez, keeping young voters informed about the upcoming election is crucial.
“It’s important for young people to vote because if we don’t vote, then folks who are not living through our experiences … they’re going to be the ones who end up making decisions for us,” said Gutierrez, civic engagement coordinator for InnerCity Struggle.
Gutierrez, 28, has been overseeing phone banking and canvassing as part of the nonprofit’s voter outreach leading up to Election Day. InnerCity Struggle works to build stronger schools and advocates for youth leadership on the Eastside, and this election season, Gutierrez wants young voters to be aware of what’s at stake locally and nationally on the ballot.
Young voters tend to be politically progressive, but many do not identify directly as Democrats or Republicans, according to the Pew Research Center. About half of voters under 25 years old identify as independent or something else.
Jose Cruz, 18, a first-year student at East Los Angeles College, will be casting a ballot for the first time this year.
The voting process, Cruz said in an interview earlier this fall, “feels very strange because it’s something I haven’t done before.” Cruz, who has family members who are undocumented, has been paying attention to how the presidential candidates talk about immigration.
“Many people have been telling me how important it is that we vote for presidential candidates. So to have this opportunity feels very grand, very special,” said Cruz.
“[Voting] is a huge responsibility,” Cruz said. “People see it as an option and not as something important.”
Melody Garcia, 18, who grew up in El Sereno, will also be voting for the first time this election. Garcia is interested in local ballot measures, such as Proposition 32, which would raise the statewide minimum wage from $16 an hour to $18. Garcia has also been following the L.A. City Council District 14 race between Councilmember Kevin de León and Ysabel Jurado.
“Growing up, I always saw my family participate in elections, and I was excited for the opportunity to fill out my ballot. Now that I am eligible to vote, I realize how important it is because I’m not just voting for the president; I’m also voting on statewide propositions and local measures in Los Angeles County that directly affect my community,” said Garcia, an intern in the communication department at InnerCity Struggle.
Garcia has noticed some gaps in information.
“As someone who uses social media, I noticed there was very little information about the propositions compared to the presidential candidates. However, I did see more advertisements for the propositions in the news or on YouTube, rather than on Instagram and on TikTok which I feel like my generation uses more. I wish there were more discussions about the propositions because I feel like they are very important since they will affect people immediately,” Garcia said.
Ernesto Valdez, 18, a first-year student at Cal State L.A. said the voter registration process “was pretty simple and straightforward.” However, earlier this fall, Valdez wasn’t sure how to find information to learn about the propositions and judges on the ballot.
Valdez planned to vote for Kamala Harris for president. The Beat asked Valdez about local measures on the ballot, like Proposition 4, a $10 billion bond to pay for climate and environmental projects. Valdez felt the climate measure would be good to potentially make more parks available for the public and said the proposition to raise the minimum wage would also be good, but worried it could raise inflation.
“I’m kind of excited [about voting] because my voice is finally being heard,” Valdez said. “I feel like my voice doesn’t have an effect since I’m only one in millions of people in the United States, but it’s nice to be heard.”
Gutierrez, with InnerCity Struggle, said they’ve had canvassers go out to parts of East L.A. near Garfield High School and neighborhoods around Roosevelt High School. They’ve also had a presence in Lincoln Heights.
“Something that we always want to overcome when we’re doing education regarding measures and ballots, is we want to make sure the information we are sharing is accessible and will keep the youth engaged,” Gutierrez said. “We want to explain these ballots and measures in a way … that will make them understand what’s at stake. When you receive your ballot, or the books with the information, it’s very lengthy and the words are not really accessible to youth.”
In Boyle Heights, Gutierrez said, there’s a lack of resources.
“Street lights are not always on, and it can make it really scary at night to go out for a run or a walk. I think we should continue to look into why those issues are not being resolved,” Gutierrez said. “If we want to see change, and if we want to see more resources put into our communities, we should make sure that we are voting.”
