Since the first week of fall quarter, the Associated Students UC Irvine (ASUCI), the office of the ASUCI External Vice President and the Associated Graduate Students (AGS) coordinated election-related programs — including voter registration drives and Stop, Zot N’ Vote Anteater Express buses transporting students to the Student Center polling place on Nov. 2 and 3. ASUCI culminated its months-long voting initiatives with the Voter Palooza event at the Student Center Terrace on Nov. 5.
As Peter the Anteater danced to pop music on the small stage just outside the Student Center South, hundreds of students lined up for free t-shirts with a cartoon drawing of an anteater, a ballot box and “Vote!” in blue and red block letters from ASUCI. AGS distributed shirts with rainbow-colored anteaters to graduate students.
“I think a lot of times students are looking at Election Day and are really stressed because of the uncertainty around it,” ASUCI External Vice President Kylie Jones told New University. “A lot of things are going on in students’ heads so we try to bring a little joy on Election Day [through Voter Palooza].”
Second-year undeclared student Kelly Azuara said that after waiting three hours to cast her ballot, she felt like rewarding herself with the free shirt.
“Voting in and of itself is a privilege,” Azuara told New University. “I think it’s really important this election since so much is on the line, like human rights.”
Jones and ASUCI Civic Engagement Coordinator Khushi Patel said that the event exceeded participation expectations, with nearly 500 students in attendance. As students waited for shirts in a line that stretched from the ASUCI room to the entrance of the West Food Court, they were offered a free photo opportunity with Peter the Anteater clad in his Hawaiian shirt.
From Nov. 2-5, the ground floor of the Student Center transformed into an official poll center with 20 voting booths for students and local residents. At one point on Election Day, the line of voters snaked down into Aldrich Park, with estimated wait times of around four hours.
Some students opted to skip classes to cast their votes, others completed same-day registration and some opted for a provisional ballot if they were not registered to vote in Orange County. Other students avoided the line on Election Day by voting through mail-in ballots.
“The long lines to vote, while certainly not ideal, were a testament of the dedication of UCI students to making their voice heard and counted,” UCI Office of Civic Engagement Director Michelle Mallen told New University.
In a 2023 prediction for the 2024 presidential election, researchers at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) said that a historic number of young voters will be a “force” in the election.
“In 2024, Gen Z youth alone will make up over 40 million potential voters — including 8 million youth who will have newly reached voting age since 2022 — making up nearly one fifth of the American electorate,” CIRCLE’s website stated.
On Election Day, mayoral candidate Tammy Kim motivated student voters to stay in line as she endorsed herself. Kim and the Orange County Young Democrats provided snacks to those waiting to cast their ballots. Kim said that she knows the importance of the college vote.
“The reason I came to UCI is because it’s a critical vote,” Kim told New University. “The student votes are important. A lot of them are first-time voters, so they’re not sure what to do. And as somebody who’s on the ballot, I wanted to encourage them and give them the words of encouragement to keep them staying in line.”
As of Nov. 10 Kim is losing to mayoral candidate Larry Agran.
Though the election is over, ASUCI continues to offer related support to students, such as how to navigate post-election emotions.
Cassandra Nava is a Features Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. She can be reached at cassan2@uci.edu.
Edited by Kaelyn Kwon.