This post was updated Nov. 2 at 8:31 p.m.
November is a busy time for students. Bruins pack libraries. Professors’ office hours buzz with questions. The stress of midterms hangs in the air.
But this November, something heavier than the pressure of exams sits in the balance. In the special election for Proposition 50, students have a responsibility to uphold the future of our democracy – and how our generation engages with it.
Regardless of students’ individual stances on the referendum, one fact is true: It is imperative that Bruins educate themselves and go out and vote.
Youth voter turnout is shockingly low, even in on-cycle election years. In 2020, youth voter turnout was barely over 50%. In 2024, less than half of eligible voters aged 18 to 29 participated.
In off-cycle election years – when votes are not held in tandem with presidential or midterm congressional elections – such as in 2025 participation rates are even lower. How can governments gauge public opinion accurately when less than half of a given population responds?
The short answer is they can’t. The Public Policy Institute of California stressed that low-turnout demographics like youth voters have even less of a say in government when they forgo their vote.
Student voices are already suppressed. UCLA seems increasingly willing to inhibit students’ abilities to speak and protest freely on campus, as demonstrated by police arresting hundreds of protesters on campus in May 2024 and restricting speech through updated Time, Place and Manner Policies in September.
The Trump administration is also clearly unafraid to remove voices it disagrees with.
It demanded that UCLA limit diversity, equity and inclusion programs, end transgender care programs and exclude international students, all of which affect UCLA’s ability to support its diverse student body. The administration also called for consequences against student protesters and revoked the visas of international students who voiced opinions it disagreed with.
When a chance to speak out is not only available to students registered to vote in California but also enshrined in the state constitution, we must act. Many students – including those without legal status and here on visas – remain disenfranchised and unable to be the voice of our generation. Students who can vote owe it to our disenfranchised peers to make that voice heard.
After all, California voters are lucky enough to vote on whether they would like to redistrict or not.
The Texas government did not consult with citizens before redistricting. Instead, it moved straight to action. The same is true in Missouri, where the American Civil Liberties Union is attempting to block a new congressional map that would favor Republicans.
The California government leaving the proposition to a vote demonstrates the importance of public opinion, even in moments of national urgency. When the government turns to us for input, it is our responsibility to answer, especially as the people who will live with the ramifications of the decision the longest.
Moreover, UCLA makes voting easy.
The voting period is open from now until Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. in Kerckhoff Hall Grand Salon and the Hammer Museum’s Bay-Nimoy Studio, giving students days to cast their ballots. Students can register at either site even if they have never voted before. There are also vote-by-mail drop boxes across campus, including at Ackerman Union’s U.S. Postal Service office. Students should read over their voting options at UCLA and make a concrete voting plan as soon as they can.
This midterm season, take time to review notes. Block out periods to rewatch lectures. But also spend time learning about and voting on Proposition 50.
California is looking for your input. Will you give it?
Los Angeles residents can vote in person Nov. 4 in Kerckhoff Hall Grand Salon and Hammer Museum’s Bay-Nimoy Studio, among other locations across the county. Voters can also submit a vote-by-mail ballot as long as it is postmarked by Election Day.
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