UCLA - University of California - Los Angeles
10/24/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/24/2024 18:43
A comprehensive Bruin guide to navigating the 2024 elections
Key takeaways
- Bridging the political divide. Build your capacity for meaningful, thoughtful engagement with others, even in the face of conflicting views.
- Know your ballot. Get expert, nonpartisan explanations of national, state and local races and measures to make informed decisions.
- Voting on campus. Find out when, where and how to cast your ballot.
- After the election. Meet with fellow Bruins to reflect on the results and understand what resources are available to support your well-being.
As the country prepares to head to the polls for another presidential election, the din of the dueling campaigns can leave some confused, angry or apprehensive about voting. Social media, news channels and even everyday conversations can expose clashing political ideologies, and misinformation can make ballot initiatives and candidates' policies seem more than a bit blurry.
UCLA experts and units can help clear away the noise and bridge the divides. From advice on how to talk to someone with different views to information that can help you decide which hole to punch in the voting booth, these resources can make counting down to Election Day and that trip to the polls a little easier.
For meaningful engagement: Dialogue across Difference
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Differences of opinion abound in a democracy, with difficult and charged conversations often something people try to avoid. But UCLA's Dialogue across Difference initiative seeks to build our muscle for meaningful and thoughtful engagement, even in the face of conflict, and strengthen the intellectual culture of the campus community.
This election season, Professor David Myers and Maia Ferdman, who lead the initiative, shared advice on how to engage in conversations across the political divide.
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Be clear with yourself about your desired goal
"Perhaps you want to advocate for your position (totally fair during an election season!), tend to a relationship with someone you care about, or learn from and understand people who think differently from you. Whatever your goal may be, reflecting on what you hope to accomplish will help you discern how best to invest your time and will also help motivate you through a difficult conversation." -
Regardless of your goal, listen first
"Ask your conversation partner what they care about and why. Ask them to tell you what personal experiences, information sources or values inform their perspective." -
Reflect back to them what you are hearing
"Before you respond to what they are trying to say, ask if you understood them correctly. They are far more likely to hear what you have to say in response (even if you have a rebuttal or challenge) if they feel like you have heard them fully and correctly." -
Practice authentic, in-person engagement
"We are often at our most reactive and polarized when we engage on social media. Engaging in person allows you to have more time, non-verbal communication and human connection." -
Take care of yourself
"Not every moment or every topic is ripe for a charged conversation. It might feel like the issues at stake in the election are so fraught or personal that you simply do not want to engage with just anyone or about any topic. That's okay. Take your time and understand and respect your own personal boundaries."
The team also recommended playbooks from the Constructive Dialogue Institute and Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley to help guide conversations, as well the film "Purple," from their partners Resetting the Table, which models what constructive engagement across political divides looks like.
For those looking to dive in and flex their dialogue muscles, Dialogue across Difference and UCLA's RISE Center are offering workshops on Monday, Oct. 28, centered around healthy and constructive conversations across politics - one at noon and another at 4 p.m.
Preparing to vote: Making informed decisions
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The Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement Network, an initiative of UCLA Campus Life and the UCLA Center for Community Engagement, offers Bruins an online portal featuring events, programs and resources around campus that can provide guidance around the election process and ballot initiatives.
One of those upcoming events is Boos and Ballots (it's nearly Halloween, after all!), a nonpartisan education session open to all UCLA students on Vote Early Day, Tuesday, Oct. 29. Campus and community partners and experts will be on hand to help demystify the choices.
For helpful analysis on local referendums, UCLA Alumni and UCLA Government and Community Relations recently convened a panel of experts on local ballot measures in the county and city of Los Angeles (video). Then panel was moderated by Jim Newton, veteran Los Angeles journalist and editor-in-chief of UCLA Blueprint magazine.
- Measure A. UCLA urban planning professor Michael Lens shed light on this proposed measure, which would introduce a ½-cent sales tax, in perpetuity, to combat homelessness.
- Measure G. Zev Yaroslavsky, former member of the Los Angeles City Council and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and current executive director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Affairs, explained this governance measure which would, among other things, expand the board of supervisors from five to nine elected members and create a new elected executive for the county.
- Charter Amendments DD, LL and ER. UCLA political scientist Gary Segura discussed three measures, two of which would create independent redistricting commissions for the Los Angeles City Council (DD) and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LL) and another that would increase the funding and authority of the city's ethics commission to fight corruption at City Hall (ER).
Another panel of UCLA experts discussed California state ballot measures (video)Proposition 33, which addresses rent control, and Proposition 36, which increases penalties for certain theft and drug trafficking offenses. These discussions featured Newton, who is also a UCLA lecturer in political science, Shane Phillips, a housing affordability researcher from the UCLA's Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, and former state Sen. Dean Florez.
And the Hammer Forum: 2024 Presidential Election series, presented by the Hammer Museum and UCLA Law's Safeguarding Democracy Project, has addressed anxieties and concerns around free and fair elections. The panel discussions - all of which can be watched online - have tackled questions about the fairness of the Electoral College, the public's confidence in election results and concerns about foreign interference and disinformation.
For more in-depth looks at different issues, UCLA Newsroom has compiled a special Elections 2024 microsite, which features UCLA research, news and commentary on the elections, including expert analysis of the presidential race and the latest on topics like the power of the Latina electorate,authoritarian tactics in the presidential campaign and outreach to eligible voters with felony convictions.
Election Day and after: When, where and how to vote, plus post-election resources
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BruinsVote.This nonpartisan coalition, which focuses on voter registration and mobilization efforts, provides you with important information about how to vote. Their site covers everything from how to check your voter registration status to tracking your vote-by-mail ballot and how you can vote on campus.
Voting on campus.This year, UCLA will host vote centers starting Oct. 26 in De Neve Plaza and Nov. 2 at the Hammer Museum and Bruin Reception Room in Ackerman Union. Vote-by-mail ballots can also be dropped off at the centers, as well as at the drop box by the parking and information kiosk on Westwood Plaza and the post office in Ackerman Union.
Election watch party. On Nov. 5, BruinsVote and UCLA Campus Life are holding an election night watch party at the Pavilion Club in Pauley Pavilion. All members of the UCLA community are welcome to come and watch the results roll in, starting at 5 p.m.
After the election. The Bruin community is encouraged attend events around campus and to make use of resources available to help people process the election. A post-election reflection event will be hosted by UCLA Student Affairs on Nov. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the De Neve Auditorium. And counseling services will continue to be available for students, as well as faculty and staff.