Hundreds of students stood in hour-long lines at UCLA vote centers to cast their ballots in Tuesday’s midterm election.
Democrats gained control of the House and the Senate, and flipped several Republican-held governorships in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to The Associated Press. Students said they were excited to vote in the Los Angeles mayoral race, which was too early to call at the time of publication.
Aidann Gruwell, a fourth-year digital humanities and music industry student, said she was frustrated by how long the wait was for the vote center at De Neve Plaza, one of the four in-person Election Day voting locations on campus. Gruwell added that close elections across the country – such as Florida’s Senate race – motivated them to stay in line.
“You can really see how close some of these races are getting,” Gruwell said. “Once you consider that, it’s a no-brainer to go out and vote.”
After spending several hours in class, having to wait in line to vote was discouraging, said Mikaela Alegre, a fourth-year communication and sociology student who voted at Ackerman Union.
Diego Aguilar, a first-year mathematics student, said while he was surprised by the long lines at the De Neve Plaza voting center, he was encouraged by how many people turned out to vote.
“This is my first time officially voting, so I feel like that’s very exciting,” Aguilar said. “My mom can’t vote, so I feel like it’s very important that I’m able to vote for her.”
Election workers provided same-day voter registration forms and poll passes – QR codes that allow LA County voters to make ballot selections online and transfer their selections to a vote center Ballot Marking Device – to people waiting to expedite the lines.
Alyssa Coronado, a fourth-year English student, said voting was easier than she expected, and she appreciated election workers’ help.
“The people who help create the voting centers created a very calm environment for you to just be one with your vote and your voice, and to be able to really think about what you wanted as a voter,” Coronado said.
Jocelyn Ortiz, a graduate student in social welfare, said she appreciated having vote centers on campus. Gruwell added that more vote centers on campus could make wait times shorter.
Abigail Naranjo, a third-year human biology and society student who stood in line to vote at Ackerman Union, said she relied on her friends and online resources to research her ballot. Ortiz added that she reviewed progressive voter guides and attended discussions held by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs about Proposition 40 – a one-time wealth tax on billionaires – to make her decisions.
[Related: Here’s what students need to know about Proposition 40’s one-time billionaire tax – Daily Bruin]
“I’m trying to get as informed as I can because I feel like the language in a lot of the propositions is really convoluted on purpose,” Ortiz said.
Madison Le, a third-year statistics and data science student who lined up at Ackerman Union, said heightened immigration enforcement activity and budget cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration inspired her to vote. Naranjo voted “yes” on Proposition 40 and for LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who is running against incumbent Karen Bass for LA mayor, she said.
Wes Tangitau, a first-year classical civilization student, said his excitement to vote for Raman helped him overcome his apprehension about waiting in line.
“It’s really important to vote, especially for those who can’t,” Tangitau said. “We live in one of few countries where it’s so easy to get out there, mobilize yourself. It’s really important to recognize how lucky you are to kind of be here and have that right – but also to exercise it.”
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