Must Knows for the 2018 Election
The election is finally upon us, Long Beach State, and with five ballot measures, 12 propositions and dozens of candidates on the ballot, ASI is here to make your voting experience as easy as possible.
WHAT TO KNOW
- Getting to the polls can be easier than you think.
Uber announced they will give $10 off to any rider going to their polling place using the most recent version of their app, and Lyft will be sending discount codes to voters who sign up for reminders through Vote.org, TuboVote or Nonprofit Vote. And if ride sharing isn't your thing, also OK. All Metro services in LA Country will be offering free rides for those trying to get to the polls!
- Finding your polling location only takes two simple steps.
Uber and Lyft will have poll-finding technology embedded into their software on election day, but if you want to find out your polling location today all you have to do it visit www.Vote.org, select ‘find your polling place,’ and enter your address. That’s it! - Better than that, voting early is even easier!
The Long Beach State University Student Union has a drop off location for early voting! Sure, you can put your ballot in the mail, but you can also bring it with you to campus and submit your ballot at the USU Info & Ticket Center - Southern California has the best resources to make your voter game plan simple.
LAist.com has partnered with KPCC to create this simple and easy tool. By visiting the Voter Game Plan on LAist.org you can browse all the races, compare each candidate and measure side by side and create your own personal ballot by entering your street address. - Important local measures means your vote counts even more.
Being a student today means there are things that sometimes are more important to us than some of our voting peers. Here are some highlights we wanted to feature!- Measure “CCC” establishes an Ethics Commission for the City of Long Beach, a body that will operate with the goal of keeping public officials in check and advocating for city interests but might have a fiscal impact on taxpayers.
- Measure “DDD” establishes an Independent City Redistricting Commission with the intent of preventing Gerrymandering in Long Beach. This is will also have an unknown fiscal impact on taxpayers.
- Proposition 6 would repeal the so-called “gas tax” which is important to all students that commute to Long Beach State. At 40 cents per gallon, California currently taxes gasoline at about 20 cents above the federal gas tax, meaning an average visit to the pump can cost over $6 in taxes alone. However, funding for climate change mitigation initiatives and long-term transportation improvement projects, like the bullet train and road repair, weigh in the balance if this proposition passes.
- The final proposition we want to highlight is Prop 10, which involves rent control. In brief, a “yes” vote would allow cities to enact policies that regulate rent prices. For students that rent their homes, this proposition is likely to have a direct impact on your cost of living, one way or the other.
At the end of the day, all measures and propositions are important, and ASI urges you to cast an informed vote. Remember, to read more about what’s on the ballot and create your plan, check out KPCC’s Voter Game Plan.
