Long Beach State students listen to a presentation about elections given by Associated Student Inc. on Oct. 28 in preparation for the upcoming election. Photo credit: Troy Lippman

As the upcoming elections approached, students gathered to learn more about your voting rights at of the University Student Association on October 28th.

The event was hosted by the Associated Students Inc. Legal Department and featured several associate panelists who provided participants with information about voter rights.

Issues raised included access to polling stations and time off work. Students also asked panelists questions about understanding voter rights.

One question was how to involve students in the voting process. The panelists informed the participants about this ASI Lobby Corps had held roundtable discussions on campus last month to educate students about how issues such as policies and proposals impact students and why it is important for student voices to be heard through voting. The Lobby Corps has also held events to discuss issues such as the outcome of votes.

The event also discussed early voting and absentee voting, and how some people may find it more convenient to vote by mail at home rather than going to vote in person.

Katherine Garcia-Guerrero, a second-year political science and international studies student, learned more about what she can do as an active voter and said the meeting was extremely beneficial to her.

“I learned that you can request paid time off from work so you can vote, which I found helpful,” Garcia-Guerrero said. “I also learned how to track your ballot.”

Third-year kinesiology student Dollin Ha said he learned about many voting resources before the event that he wasn't aware of.

“One thing I learned was getting two hours of paid time off to vote, which was cool, and also other resources I can use to vote,” Ha said.

Student voters should choose a voting method that best suits them and their preferences. To be registered to vote in the state of California, you must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old. CCalifornia is a same-day voter registration state. However, people are advised to register before voting vote.ca.gov.

Long Beach State will establish an on-campus vote center at the Walter Pyramid starting November 2nd where students can cast their ballots on campus. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the days before the election and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day.

Student voters who work can request paid time off from their employer two days before the election to give them two hours to vote on election day.