Registering to vote and the act of voting itself is just half the battle during election season.
Getting informed on the issues and candidates that are up for a vote is the other half.
Leanne Mullholand, the cataloging Librarian for the San Diego City College library, created a digital election resource guide on the San Diego City College website for students to educate themselves with.
“The intent is to give students a place to start when they’re trying to look for information on all of the (propositions) and the candidates we have to vote on,” Mullholand said.
While the guide is not fully up to date, it contains helpful links and information that voters may find useful in 2024.
With the March presidential primary approaching, CalMatters, a nonpartisan state news nonprofit, produced its own 2024 election guide that provides background into the upcoming elections.
One race the CalMatters voter guide highlights is the U.S. Senate seat left by the passing of Dianne Feinstein last September.
With the decision of interim Senator Laphonza Butler to not pursue a permanent position after being appointed by Governor Newsom, the race for Feinstein’s vacant seat now features prominent Democratic contenders, including U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, the guide states.
According to the guide, on the Republican side, Eric Early and Steve Garvey are in the running for the senate seat, though Garvey, a well-known figure in sports, is a newcomer to politics.
Beyond the Senate race, voters will also be tasked with narrowing down candidates for 52 congressional seats, 80 state Assembly seats and 20 state Senate seats, the guide states.
The voter guide explains that California’s decisions in these elections could significantly impact the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Proposition 1 is only one statewide ballot measure, which, if passed, will authorize the state to borrow $6.4 billion to establish 10,000 new mental health treatment beds and reform the existing 20-year-old law that funds mental health services through a tax on millionaires.
With City’s library election resource guide close to completion, Mullholand hopes students will be equipped to make informed choices come ballot time.
From there, they can focus on the other half of their roles in the election battle.
“Just get out, get out there and vote…you can’t participate if you don’t register to vote,” Mullholand said.
Additional voting information and useful tips can be found here.
If you want to share your thoughts about the upcoming election and how it affects the City community, send your thoughts in writing by email at [email protected] or leave us a voice message.
