It has been brought to our attention that voter turnout and belief in the electoral
process has been undermined and reduced to a point never previously encountered. As I
walked the streets, I asked individual citizens of this state whether they truly believe he or
she, his or her single vote or voice, could make a difference in the California elections.
Overwhelmingly, the people responded that politics is too complicated and that our citizens
do not know enough about the pressing issues, or even the elections in general, and this has
caused low voter turnout. The other response I heard was that one vote could not hold any
significance in elections where millions of people are also voting. Although this may be true,
if one hundred thousand people share this belief and we are able to change at least seventy
five thousand minds into voting, that is seventy five thousand more votes cast. Many people
responded with their own questions such as, “Are you doing anything to try to combat this
issue?” or, “What can we do to try and change this?”
My short answer would be to introduce a Proposition to the State of California in
which we institute electoral education and voter education courses in the public school
system, starting as early as kindergarten. The new curriculum would introduce the basic
history and process of voting to children and offer after-school programs that included indepth lessons about the electoral process and current issues. As the child gets older with
each grade, the lessons will be more developed and tailored to their learning. They will
combine these lessons and after-school programs with the current student body association
in that if a student wanted to run they would have to participate in some after-school
programs before they submit their candidacy. By high school, teachers will have in-depth
lessons about electing members of Congress, local offices, and the Presidency. The students
should be able to articulate the concept and process of the Electoral College for the election
of the President, in particular. The lessons about voting and the electoral process will be
treated just as any other whole subject in school, i.e. math, language arts, science etc.
California’s public education system was supposed to be “a world-class education for
all students, from early childhood to adulthood.”1 However, according to recent polls by the
National Assessment of Educational Progress, our state ranks 46th and 49th with regard to
fourth- and eighth-graders’ academic performance on math and English tests, respectively.2
In our largest county, Los Angeles County, only 25% of all students who took the California
High School Exit Exam, CAHSEE, passed in the Mathematics department and similarly in
the English-Language Arts department only 21% passed.3 Statewide, the results are strikingly
similar, with math having a passing rate of only 27% and English at 21% for all students.4
This translates to only one in four young adults having a high-school level understanding of
these subjects which also means we need education reform regardless. These statistics do
not present a very good picture of how our new, young and eligible voters fare with the
academic and political world, as math and language are embedded in nearly everything in this
“California Department of Education: Mission Statement,” California Department of Education, Accessed July 12,
2014, http://www.education.ca.gov.
2 Rob Kuznia, “California national rank on per-pupil spending abysmal, but tide is poised to change,” Daily
Breeze News, July 26, 2013, Accessed July 12, 2014, http://www.dailybreeze.com/generalnews/20130727/california-national-rank-on-per-pupil-spending-abysmal-but-tide-is-poised-to-change.
3 “California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Results for Mathematics and English-Language Arts (ELA)
by Program (July 2013) for (All Grades),” CAHSEE-California Department of Education, February 24, 2014,
Accessed July 12, 2014,
http://www.cahsee.cde.ca.gov/ExitProg2.asp?cSelect=19%2CLOS^ANGELES&cLevel=County&cYear=201
3-14&cChoice=ExitProg2&cAdmin=S&tDate=07/24/13&TestType=E&cGrade=AG&Pageno=119-Los
Angeles County.
4 “California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Results for Mathematics and English-Language Arts (ELA)
by Program (July 2013) for (All Grades).”
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world. The current curriculum standards for History and Social Science are almost twenty
years old and not until twelfth grade do lessons on the “principles of American democracy”
get introduced to students.5 However, the mathematics and language standards were revised
as late as 2010 and are started much earlier.6 If math and language are taught as early as
kindergarten, with respect to these young children’s capabilities, and were revised within the
past three years, why is that we do not teach about voting and the electoral process in the
same manner? After those math and English lessons, students get a feel for if they like the
material and if they can excel in the subject. Teaching about math from a young age and
throughout the student’s academic life can turn him or her into a stockbroker or a certified
public accountant. The same goes for English students who excel and enjoy the subject. My
point is that these early introductions have created experts in the fields when the students
become older and get jobs. If this works, why would it not be possible to mold more
experts in the political arena through teaching in school like the other subjects? After all, it
is just as big a part of this country as math, reading and writing.
According to the California Secretary of State website, as of July 1, 2014, voter
turnout in the 2014 Primary General Election for registered voters was only 25.2%, the
lowest in many years.7 L.A. County’s voters produced a turnout of only 17%.8 This
translates to less than one million actual voters out of almost five million registered voters. I
“History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: K-12,” California Department of
Education, 1998, Accessed July 14, 2014,
http://www.education.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf.
6 “Content Standards-Standards and Frameworks (CA Dept of Education),” California Department of Education,
April 15, 2014, Accessed July 14, 2014, http://www.education.ca.gov/be/st/ss/.
7 "County Reporting Status," Secretary of State-California, July 1, 2014, Accessed July 12, 2014,
http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/status.
8 “County Reporting Status.”
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compared these stats to the last three, non-presidential general elections. I choose nonpresidential elections because these always have a drastically reduced voter turnout as the
President garners more media and therefore public attention than local matters. In 2010, the
registered voter turnout was 59.59%, while the eligible voter turnout was only 43.74%. In
the previous non-presidential general election, 2006, the registered turnout was 56.19%,
while eligible turnout was 39.29%, and in 2002, the figures were 50.57% and 36.05%,
respectively. Despite the rising percentage in both categories in recent elections, registered
and eligible, this exponential decrease in this election raises questions.
There are a variety of reasons turnout has gone down in the recent election. Some
people speculate that the public is not informed enough as to the policies and the candidates
presented before them. This can seem overwhelming to many on Election Day, possibly
resulting in people not voting because they do not feel confident enough with their value in
the system or because they are not informed enough. Based on the educational statistics
presented above, it is safe to assume only one in four young adults has a high school level
understanding of math and English in the state of California. Being able to do simple and
some complex mathematics is an essential part of living in this country. In addition,
speaking, being able to communicate your ideas, and understanding people and things
around you is another major part in an adult’s life in this country. When people do not
possess these qualities, it disables them from being efficient contributors to society, no
matter how hard they try. I believe teaching about the electoral process and the issues
surrounding the whole system is necessary in order to create a well-educated society that is
willing to tackle its problems head-on. Nevertheless, this will not solve everything; just
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teaching people about it will not make them vote. It is still up to them. An article presented
in the LA Times says that it is due to the majority of California citizens being “content” with
how the State is currently operating.9 The author, Mark Z. Barabak, writes that it is usually
the people who want change, the people fed up with how things are going, the “angry
people” who go out and vote more.10 The more people who know what is going on, the
more people who can voice their opinions and make changes if need be. Without an actively
participating society, citizens leave the decisions to the people already in power. This
resonated with me because I think that the right people will be outraged about what is going
on in California, but only after they learn about it. Educated people get angry because they
were taught to develop opinions and ideas about things. Ignorant people tend to be content
because they do not know any better. As they say, ignorance is bliss.
Because of the record low turnout in this year’s primary general election, the votes
actually cast hold much more significance than if more people voted. Moreover, the likely
news is that most of the people who voted have a stake in politics, so this has a possibility of
turning out bad for the public. Due to its political implications, this proposal will have some
resistance. This will mainly come from the Republicans who currently hold office or are
striving to hold office. Teaching all students about voting and political issues translates to
teaching minorities. Minorities in California heavily favor the Democratic Party and
therefore pose a problem for the Republican Party, which is still in an upward climb in their
Mark Z. Barabak, "Poor California Primary Turnout Explained: Contented People Stay Home," Los Angeles
Times, June 3, 2014, Accessed July 12, 2014, http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pc-californiaprimary-voter-apathy-20140603-story.html.
10 "Poor California Primary Turnout Explained.”
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attempts to control the state.11 Due to the liberal nature of the Democratic Party and the
history of how minorities have been treated in this country, the new, educated and eligible
minority voters will have their voices heard and issues presented almost exclusively through
Democratic candidates. L.A. County and the Bay Area are minority-majority and in the 2008
presidential election, the Democrat received 30% more votes than the Republican, a wide
margin.12 These two areas also hold a vast portion of the state’s population so when those
undecided voters become educated it is very likely they will vote Democrat.
Attempting to change the education system is not a new thing to our state, as we
know. In the last general election, Prop. 30, which passed, proposed an increase in income
tax for those of $200,000 or more.13 In the measure, the proposed revenues would be split
between the state’s public school system and higher education, preventing the institutions
from implementing further budget cuts and saving current state money for seniors, working
families and small businesses.14 If this is successful, there seems to be no reason for not
attempting to implement this new curriculum; the money will be there. Education reform
cannot happen with one swing of the bat. Not all issues can be solved with one measure on
the ballot. Steps need to be taken for progress to be made. The first step was the passing of
Prop. 30 to take in extra money and let the local school boards decide how to spend. The
Micah Cohen, “In California, Growing Diversity First Made its Mark,” New York Times, October 8, 2012,
Accessed July 15, 2014, http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/in-california-growing-diversityfirst-made-its-mark/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0.
12 “In California, Growing Diversity First Made its Mark.”
13 Tyler Kingkade, “Prop 30 Passes In California: Voters Support Gov. Jerry Brown’s Tax Measure for
Education Funding,” Huffington Post, November 7, 2012, Accessed July 15, 2014,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/prop-30-passes-california-education_n_2087931.html.
14 “Text of California Proposition 30 (November 2012)”, Ballotpedia, Accessed July 14, 2014,
http://ballotpedia.org/Text_of_California_Proposition_30_%28November_2012%29.
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second step is now to take a stab at introducing new lessons into our public school system
because that is the foundation of our society. We are nothing without education. It is there
for a reason, it would be foolish for us not to try to squeeze every last drop of knowledge
from our resources. The final step hopefully, step three, is for our new educated young
citizens to take action with the new information made available to them because of the
previous two steps. As Mark Z. Barabak said, the angry people are the ones to vote and try
to change things. I hope that when we educate the young society, they will become angry
about what is happening and want to do something about it. Problems we politicians face
are problems that ultimately affect the citizens. It is time we inform them directly about
what is going on so they can have a well-rounded opinion about it and help us come to a
concrete decision as to how to face these obstacles. The more collaboration occurs, the
more the result reflects that of the contributors, all of them.
I believe that if we properly educate the young and up-and-coming citizens of this
prosperous state, we can change for the better. When people are properly informed,
decisions they make are almost inevitably the best ones, or at least ones that benefit them the
most. This is not just a hunch or a belief but a fact that the future is in the hands of our
young people. If we do not do anything about it now, California could certainly have a bleak
future in which to look forward.
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Source List
Barabak, Michael Z. “Poor California Primary Turnout Explained: Contented People Stay
Home.” Los Angeles Times. June 3, 2014. Accessed July 12, 2014.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pc-california-primary-voter-apathy20140603-story.html.
“California Department of Education: Mission Statement.” California Department of Education.
Accessed July 12, 2014. http://www.education.ca.gov.
“California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Results for Mathematics and EnglishLanguage Arts (ELA) by Program (July 2013) for (All Grades).” CAHSEE-California
Department of Education. February 24, 2014. Accessed July 12, 2014.
http://cahsee.cde.ca.gov/ExitProg2.asp?cSelect=19%2CLOS^ANGELES&cLevel=
County&cYear=201314&cChoice=ExitProg2&cAdmin=S&tDate=07/24/13&TestType=E&cGrade=A
G&Pageno=119-Los Angeles County.
Cohen, Micah. “In California, Growing Diversity First Made its Mark.” New York Times.
October 8, 2012. Accessed July 15, 2014.
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/in-california-growingdiversity-first-made-its-mark/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0.
“Content Standards-Standards and Frameworks (CA Dept of Education).” California
Department of Education. April 15, 2014. Accessed July 14, 2014.
http://www.education.ca.gov/be/st/ss/.
8
“County Reporting Status.” Secretary of State-California. July 1, 2014. Accessed July 12, 2014.
http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/status.
“History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools: K-12.” California
Department of Education. 1998. Accessed July 14 2014.
www.education.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/histsocscistnd.pdf.
Kingkade, Tyler. “Prop 30 Passes In California: Voters Support Gov. Jerry Brown’s Tax
Measure for Education Funding.” Huffington Post. November 7, 2012. Accessed July
15, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/prop-30-passes-californiaeducation_n_2087931.html.
Kuznia, Rob. “California National Rank on Per-Pupil Spending Abysmal, But Tide is Poised
to Change.” Daily Breeze News. July 26, 2013. Accessed July 12, 2014.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/general-news/20130727/california-national-rank-onper-pupil-spending-abysmal-but-tide-is-poised-to-change.
“Text of California Proposition 30 (November 2012).” Ballotpedia. Accessed July 14, 2014.
http://ballotpedia.org/Text_of_California_Proposition_30_%28November_2012%
29.
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