By Acsah Lemma
The presidential election is just days away and voting has been on the minds of many Long Beach State students. While those registered in Los Angeles county may have had an easier time casting their ballots, students who hail from other cities and states have different experiences.
Sacramento native and third-year mathematics and statistics major Daisy Agebsar said that her ballot still hasn’t come in the mail. Being registered in Sacramento means her mail-in ballot was sent to her family’s address.
Agebsar said she’s still waiting on her mother to forward it to her, but being wrapped up in midterms has taken her focus away from the election at hand.
“It’s at the worst possible time,” she said. It isn’t until people mention the election that Agebsar remembers she still needs to vote.
At age 19, this will be Agebsar’s first time voting.
“From what I heard last time, it’s a close race,” Agebsar said. “Knowing that you have an actual say in comparison to the last election, that’s really cool.”
Although this will be her debut into the United States electoral process, Agebsar said that she’s always been aware of current and relevant politics, a byproduct of her parents being immigrants.
“I feel like when your parents are immigrants, it’s like they have to be actively listening and looking at policies,” she said.
Discussing stances on political measures is a regular topic of discussion in her family and Agebsar attributes her upbringing in Sacramento to her views on political issues.
“Hearing people that are from Huntington Beach and stuff talking about their experiences, I just appreciate diversity a lot more, and I think that reflects on how I view politics,” she said.
Though the emergence of “identity politics” has been used negatively against the Democrat party, Agebsar said that identity has always been emphasized within society and ingrained in the fabric of this country.
“I don’t think at this point is where we flip the script and say identity doesn’t matter, given the fact that [identity] has impacted so many policies and rights,” Agebsar said. “So I just think that it’s important to include your identity when voting… you need your own personal experience to know what you want to change.”
In Agebsar’s case, being a Black woman means that she views this election differently than her peers.
“We’re more at stake,” she said. “So we’re at a point where it’s like, with the Roe v Wade thing that happened, that proves why we need to be as emotionally attached and why we need to go harder when it comes to voting, especially as women.”
Compared to other CSULB students, Agebsar’s ballot differs slightly. While some students will vote on LA County district attorney or other LA-specific measures, Agebsar’s will have Sacramento measures.
While she is excited to vote regardless, Agebsar said not living in the city you are voting for does make things a bit harder.
“I feel like actually being in the place affects how you vote, sometimes it just wouldn’t be as accurate,” she said.
Similar to Agebsar, this election was second-year marine biology major Michael Patrick Mcnamara’s first time voting.
Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, 19-year-old Mcnamara didn’t register to vote until he saw Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I always knew I was gonna vote. Honestly, when I saw that I was like, okay, now’s the time,” he said.
Swift had posted links to voter registration in her endorsement post, and sitting on his bed Mcnamara completed the steps to becoming a registered voter. His family encouraged him to register in Wisconsin and get an absentee ballot, Mcnamara said, because “Wisconsin is so important in this election.”
A few weeks later, his ballot arrived at his Long Beach address to an eagerly awaiting Mcnamara.
“I took a picture of my ballot. I almost wanted to save it, but then it wouldn’t do anything,” he said. “It feels very historic, like either we’re getting thrown off the deep end, getting led by this fascist dictator, or we get the first woman president, and that’s a big deal.”
Mcnamara said that he is interested, but terrified to see the outcome of the election. While California might not be heavily impacted if Trump is elected president, Mcnamara said his presidency would be like “giving hate a place to feel welcomed” – something that will ultimately affect everyone.
“Where hate is welcomed, it will invite opportunities for susceptible people to get influenced by that,” he said.
Although Mcnamara commented that it’s pretty obvious who he voted for, he said he believes everyone has got to vote.
“I might not like how you vote, but, I mean, we got to hear what you think,” he said.
To some this election is momentous and to others it’s the same high-stakes that it was in 2016. Regardless, Mcnamara said, “We recognize that we are all still people, even if you believe the most heinous sh*t ever… you’re still a person and you still want the people of the United States to thrive.”
“Just be accepting,” he said. “Be loving.”
