Long Beach Vote 2016
Voting Power: Lessons Learned Long Beach Vote 2016 Project
Voting Power is the one big lesson learned from the now completed Long Beach Vote 2016 project. PalacioMagazine.com partnered with Political Science students from California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) to explore the reasons eligible Long Beach voters do or do not vote. Nine students from Professor Som Chounlamountry’s (Chewn-la-moon-tree) classes joined the Long Beach Vote 2016 class project this semester.
In addition to exploring voting power, Long Beach Vote 2016 had other goals through the June 7 Long Beach Election Day and into November 2016.
- Increase voter knowledge of candidates and issues in the 2016 election cycle.
- Increase voter registration
- Increase voter engagement and voting power in participation in local elections in advance of State and Federal elections in June and November.
The students surveyed Long Beach residents online and at three events in Long Beach (Leadership Long Beach Candidate Forum, Beach Streets and First Fridays in Bixby Knolls). PalacioMagazine.com spoke with three of them by phone to discuss voting power and other lessons learned by them during Long Beach Vote 2016.
Ryan Webster
Hillary Black
F. Michael Millan
Voting Power: Hillary Black
Hillary Black managed the final phase of the Long Beach Vote 2016 Class Project, organizing the student analysis and the graphics.
Hillary recently graduated from CSULB, majoring in Political Science with a concentration on Global Studies and an emphasis in Middle Eastern Politics. Hillary’s passion is international affairs, hoping to improve US foreign relations and influence with the world. She will be interning with the US State Department in the fall and cannot wait to see first hand how diplomacy can shape foreign policy.
Voting Power: Ryan Webster
Ryan Webster helped write the introduction to the Long Beach Vote 2016 project report.
Ryan was born in Long Beach and grew up in Cypress. “After finishing high school, I immediately entered the job field and began a career at UPS. Five years ago, I decided to enroll at a community college, so I could develop my skills and open up new job opportunities. After taking an Introduction to United States Government class at Cypress College, I developed an interest in the political process and wanted to make a difference in the community, so I decided to major in Political Science. In 2014, I transferred to Cal State Long Beach, focusing on Law and Public Policy. I will be graduating in the fall of this year.”
Voting Power: Michal Millan
Michael Millan is 26 years old and studying Political Science at Cal State Long Beach. He was born and raised in Southern California and is a big sports fan.
“My parents are from Colombia, South America and came to the United States in 1978. I am the youngest in my family with 3 older siblings. I attended Costa Mesa High School and graduated with the class of 2007. I attended community college at Santiago Canyon College in the city of Orange. I originally began taking courses to complete a computer science degree but then I took a Political Science course that really caught my interest. I knew that studying Political Science was something that had always caught my attention. After completing all my required classes at Santiago, I began to apply to transfer to a University. I got accepted to Cal State Fullerton, San Francisco State, and Cal State Long Beach. Cal State Long Beach was my first choice and I took the offer as soon as I got notified that I had been accepted. I currently work in banking but only part-time now that I am a full-time student. With the Spring semester of 2016 being my first semester at Long Beach, I want to take the opportunity to get involved with anything that is being offered so that I can make the most of my time as a student at Long Beach. I am looking to the next few semesters and what I will be able to experience.”
More on Voting Power
You can read more about Long Beach Project 2016 and voting power in the following PalacioMagazine.com stories.
