UCSA and ASUCI Hope to Overcome Student Voter Apathy for State Pr

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Statewide primary elections are once again upon us, giving UC Irvine students another chance to turn away from apathy and uninformed voting and toward a proactive stance on student issues.
The UC Student Association has compiled an informative and easy-to-read guide to assist students with voting registration and to educate them about issues and their candidate choices.
Last week, the Associated Students of UC Irvine distributed the UCSA’s student voter guide for the June 6 primary election via a link on the ASUCI Web site. The guide contains organized and coherent information about student issues, an overview of voting procedures, a candidate guide and information on Propositions 81 and 82.
The guide provides a comprehensive view of important student issues like tuition affordability, financial aid and student diversity. These issues were compiled from feedback received from the 11 UC campuses.
The affordability of UC schools has become an especially critical issue for this election, due to recent UC funding cutbacks and the increasing expense of a UC education, which is preventing middle- and lower-class children from receiving a higher education. According to the guide, undergraduate fees have increased by 79 percent and graduate fees by 84 percent since 2001.
Information about the Voter’s Bill of Rights and contact information for those who feel as though their voter’s rights have been denied are also available in the guide. UCSA’s voter guide also highlights key registration dates, a list of political parties and how to obtain an absentee ballot.
The candidate directory in the third section of the booklet lists each position, along with critical information about the responsibilities of the position. UCSA surveyed the candidates and listed their responses, political affiliations and Web sites.
Along with key student issues, voting procedures and candidate listings, the guide also reviews the two propositions for this election. Proposition 81, regarding library bonds, and Proposition 82, a tax on the wealthy to finance public preschools, are explained in a nonpartisan manner, presenting a condensed argument for each side of the issue. The proposition guide also lists the informational Web sites for each proposition as a resource for further information.
The UCSA voter guide is specifically geared toward UC students, but voters wishing to consult a more general resource should obtain a copy of the California Voter’s Guide as well.

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