Student interest in election low

By Laban Pelz
The Collegian

Fresno State students generally don’t plan to vote in the upcoming California special election, and are little aware of the issues.

Propositions 75 and 76 are two ballot measures that could greatly affect education, said Susan Meisenhelder, political action chair for the California Faculty Association.

“Propositions 75 and 76 make the fight to lower tuition and get a better budget much more difficult,” the California State University San Bernandino professor said Thursday.

If passed, Proposition 75 would place restrictions on how state employee unions can use its members’ dues. Proponents call the measure “paycheck protection” while opponents like those in the CFA call it silencing.

Much of Proposition 76 aims to reduce state spending, but contains language that would give the governor power to personally reduce spending on any entity over its prescribed limit. Supporters say the measure is needed to get spending under control, while opponents claim it gives the governor too much power.

Fresno State student John Vue said he won’t vote because he isn’t registered. The third-year criminology major said he would register, but “I’ve been busy. I don’t feel it’s important,” he said.

Information systems senior Johnny Elizondo said he is “not too aware” of the issues in this November’s election, but plans to vote anyway.

“I’ve heard of it,” he said of Proposition 76. “That kind of power should be separated. Let the experts handle it.”

Though Elizondo said the governor shouldn’t have as much influence as the measure would allow, he said he didn’t feel threatened as a student.

Kelly Her, a senior information technology major, also said she isn’t registered to vote, and has no plans to.

“I don’t pay attention to all that stuff,” she said.

Her at first said Proposition 75 doesn’t bother her, but after learning its potential effect on education she said she changed her mind.

Meisenhelder said the CFA is currently able to use member dues to lobby for funding for public universities, and said the passing of Proposition 75 would keep the union from using that money as it does now.

“This is the kind of spending 75 is aiming to curtail,” she said.

Another student who changed her mind on Proposition 75 was third-year history major Fanniel Jones. She said she plans to vote and had already decided to vote against Proposition 76, but said learning more about Proposition 75 made her decide to vote against the measure.

Meisenhelder said special elections in which there is no person to vote for generally suffer from low voter turnout (about two out of five registered voters), more conservative voters turn out and younger voters don’t.

Meisenhelder said college students should worry about cuts because “when pressure is put on the budget, people are quick to go to higher education, rather than first grade or healthcare for seniors.”

She said the 400,000 students of the CSU system, along with their families, can make the difference in the election.

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