University Serves as Voting Center for March Election; Students Lead Voter Initiative

The presidential primary election is only a few days away, and the University of La Verne is determined to help the entire La Verne community, including newly eligible to vote students on campus, cast their ballots on campus.

The 2020 presidential election saw some of the highest turnout of voters in recent memory: a staggering 66.8% of people cast their ballots. This high turnout, despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, showed that Americans were determined to have their voices be heard.

With yet another election on its way, the University of La Verne’s Office of Civic and Community  Engagement  and the Andrew Goodman Foundation emphasized the importance of registering to vote.

“It’s an important year for elections,” said Zarah Vidriezca ’25, a third year legal studies student and team leader for the Andrew Goodman Foundation ambassadors. “Students are a big voting group. Not all of them are registered to vote, but it is one of the bigger voting groups in our county.”

Vidriezca and other student ambassadors recently held a “Puppies to the Polls” event to get students to register to vote or check their registration status while playing with puppies. The event was a success.

“The main goal of our event is to register people to vote or to check their registration status,” Vidriezca said. “Another of our main goals is to let people know that the University of La Verne is going to be a voting center.”

“I am a huge believer of voting as an essential way to shape the future of our democracy,” said Director of Civic and Community Engagement Julissa Espinoza. “With this new generation, I don’t know if they understand the impact of their vote. There is no excuse not to live out our core value of civic community and engagement.”

According to a Tufts article, 8 million members of Gen Z are eligible to vote in 2024. The university is serving as a voting location again this year, so any eligible community member can come and cast their ballots on campus:

Voting Location:

Sara and Michael Abraham Campus Center, Third Floor Ballrooms
2000 2nd St, La Verne CA 91750

Early Voting Period: March 2-4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Election Day: March 5 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters must be registered in Los Angeles County and adhere to all voter guidelines.

For more information, please visit the Office of Civic and Community Engagement’s voter resources page.