Stay informed: Presidential election 2020

Important tips and information for voting in this year’s election on Nov. 3

By California State University, Bakersfield

October 8^th, 2020

Voting is one of America’s most basic liberties and privileges, but it can also be overwhelming, even if one has done it before.

This year, 37% of the electorate is made up of millennials and generation Z. This election will directly affect Americans across the nation, including students, faculty and staff at California State University, Bakersfield.

So, where to begin?

“Politics is personal,” said Dr. Jeanine Kraybill, CSUB political science professor. “You have to feel a personal investment in it for it to become more meaningful.”

It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of thinking that a vote doesn’t count, especially in the current political climate of the country. However, that’s exactly the time to lean in.

“It’s a tough and challenging time. We can fall into that mindset of ‘why should it matter? Why should I vote? Why should I care?’ Things are so dismal, so and so might win anyway.’ Well, that’s when it’s the hardest and you have to press forward,” said Dr. Kraybill.

This is the time for college students and the younger demographic, in their 20s and 30s, to get plugged in and make a difference. Here are just a few ways students and younger crowds can do that.

Registration

CSUB students can see if they are registered to vote under their myCSUB account of the CSUB website. They can also visit the California Secretary of State website to see if they are registered. If not, they can also sign up on that website by entering a few key identifiers, such as name and driver’s license number.

The deadline for voter registration is October 19.

Do your research

Voting for the president is just one portion of the election ballot. While that is important, it isn’t everything, as there are other items that need attention and directly affect your everyday life and community.

“I know sometimes your candidate might not be on the ballot, but there are so many other issues and propositions that are on the ballot that literally affect your life, particularly in your state,” said Dr. Kraybill.

Dr. Kraybill added the old saying, which is “all politics is local.”

If a person cares about the community they are in, works in, raises kids in, they will, or should invest their time in it and its political leaders.

“You’re going to feel the most immediate impact of politics where you live and in your community. If you’re not engaged, what you’re basically saying is ‘I don’t have any say in my community or I’m not going to hold people accountable that we’ve tasked with the honor of running our community,” she added.

Get familiar with the propositions

For California, there are 12 statewide propositions on the ballot.

Dr. Kraybill listed a few that CSUB students in particular might be the most interested in or impacted by the most.

Prop 16 – Allows diversity as a factor in public employment, education and contracting decisions, legislative constitutional amendment. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution this impacts CSUB students. “I can’t think of anything more personal to our students as they journey through their academic and professional career,” said Dr. Kraybill.
Prop 17 – Restores right to vote after completion of prison term. Legislative constitutional amendment.
Prop. 18 - Voting at Age 17, allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries and special elections if they will be 18 and eligible to vote in the next general election. This can help foster our youth to get involved and more familiarized with the voting process earlier on.
Prop 19 – Changes certain property tax rules. Legislative constitutional amendment.
Prop 22 – Exempts app-based transportation and delivery companies from providing employee benefits to certain drivers. Initiative statute.

More resources for students

Aside from the mail-in ballots everyone will receive, there are other resources that students can use to get their information, such as websites on the various issues, as well as candidates and their views on the issues

Ballotpedia – A nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia designed to educate people on what is on their ballot;
Power California – A website directed towards youth of color and their families to get communities of color more involved and engaged in the voting process;
Cal Matters – a non-partisan, nonprofit organization designed to inform and educate citizens on policy and politics; and
A Starting Point – a bipartisan video-based website designed launched by actor, Chris Evans, Mark Kassen and technology entrepreneur Joe Kiani to provide communication and connection between Americans and their elected officials.

Make it fun when able

Election Day is November 3, and as citizens go to the polls, it tends to be a quiet process - making sure no one sees their ballot and keeping to themselves while in the booth. But, Dr. Kraybill reminds students that “it doesn’t have to be an isolating process in an already isolating time.”

Bringing in significant others and friends is another way to go. Dr. Kraybill and her husband will sit down on a Sunday morning with their coffee, once they’ve received their ballot. They will sometimes argue, disagree and even vote differently. The key is talking about it and digesting the information together.

Students, or anyone for that matter, can also fill out an application to become a poll worker for the day of November 3. Political science professors Dr. Ivy Cargile and Dr. Mark Martinez have had classes volunteer before.

“It’s usually an all-day commitment, but now more than ever, we do need poll workers there. That could be one of the best things you do on Election Day.”

It is one thing Dr. Kraybill hasn’t done, but she submitted her application this year and is awaiting a response on whether she’ll be able to.

“I think they would really learn a lot about the election process,” said Dr. Kraybill.

Students also don’t have to be interested in political science in order to apply.

Get election ballots in before November 3

Once students have filled out their ballots, they can drop it off at the post office, slip it in their mailbox if they have one or drop it off at a participating location, as well as the County Voter Registration Office before November 3. CSUB will also be a drop-off location the day of the election, with more information to follow.

It is advised to do so as soon as possible.

Dr. Kraybill wanted to remind students, “Voting by mail is a safe practice. Voter fraud by mail is under 1%. Study after study after study has shown that.”

“Don’t let people intimidate you about voting. Don’t let people think your vote doesn’t matter. Don’t let people try to scare you into not trusting the mail system. If people are resorting to those tactics, they’re afraid of your power, that’s what it is,” she added.

You can also track your ballot by visiting, the “Where’s My Ballot?” page on the CA’s Secretary of State’s website.

As has been said, this isn’t the time to slow down.

Closing argument

But, why is this year’s election so important?

“A lot of it is rooted in the 2016 election. I don’t think all of the country has healed and I think the rhetoric has either been just as negative or worse at times,” said Dr. Kraybill.

“I think sometimes we’re disappointed in our leadership and how they respond, so we might want to be on the sidelines and not participate, but that’s when we have to hold them accountable even more so.”

The last several months have exposed many challenges that were already there, including disparities in healthcare, income, communities of color navigating COVID, issues surrounding social injustice and more.

Get out there, let your voice be heard!

“I think of so many people who never had the right to vote,” explained Dr. Kraybill. “I don’t ever want to be disrespectful to the people who have had to fight so hard for myself, as a woman, to vote, but I also think of communities of color, people who are disenfranchised and how they’re still fighting for their right to vote.”

She said she can’t take it for granted, because there are many people who don’t get to vote with the same ease that she’s been able to. That’s one of the sacred parts of voting, for her.

“We have to carry the torch for the next generation. It’s not just about us. It’s about the collective body politic and us wanting to survive as a democracy,” said Dr. Kraybill.