By With election day merely seven weeks away, the Associated Students, Inc. Lobby Corps set its focus toward promoting voting registration and relevant voting issues among students at its meeting Thursday afternoon.
A subcommittee of ASI, Lobby Corps primarily works to engage students in their civic responsibilities, particularly voting and community engagement, according to its website.
While social distancing has created numerous obstacles for the student body this semester at Long Beach State, Lobby Corps is looking to ensure voting in the upcoming election does not become one of them.
The committee discussed ways to reach students through other remote avenues, such as 22 West Media or an online question and answer session with the Los Angeles County Registrar, in addition to efforts in motion to create a voter registration page for students to access through the Lobby Corps website.
“I’m gathering resources from the LA County registrar’s office [and] League of Women Voters so that people will be able to get a lot of information about the importances of voting,” said Ricki Burgener, the assistant vice president’s university relations’ designee.
Currently coordinating efforts for their upcoming voting registration event, Senator Sierra Darwin said she felt the most important issues concerning students include explaining voter registration, how to register to vote and using mail-in ballots.
With modifications being made this November election to reduce the risk of further spread of COVID-19, voters are left having to navigate these new rules alone.
Despite concerns about in-person voting as the virus remains ever-present, interest in the 2020 election has remained high, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center.
In response, many voters are opting to vote by mail rather than in-person, several for the first time ever. The issue with this, the Pew study suggests, lies in almost half of registered voters “expecting to have difficulties casting a ballot.”
Aside from encouraging voter registration , Lobby Corps also hopes to educate students about specific issues to look for on the ballot this November, including concerns of climate change, immigration and racial justice.
“Racial justice is one that’s really important and that people really want to hear about right now,” Darwin said.
