Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) requires each high school senior government class to reserve time for students to either pre-register or register to vote. This ensures that all students who are eligible to vote may do so. First-time voters may be confused about the plethora of candidates, most likely being uninformed about topics.
Where to vote:
In-Person elections
There will be multiple days set for in-person voting, however the main day is Super Tuesday on March 5, 2024 where voting centers will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. Any voter who does not provide their social security number, California identification number, or their driver’s license number will be asked to provide identification before being allowed to vote. Voting centers can be found all throughout Ventura County.
Mail-in ballots
Ballots that can be submitted through the mail should have been sent to individuals’ houses in advance so that they can be mailed back in and tracked. Mail-in ballots are sent 29 days prior to the election and while they may appear to be overwhelming due to the amount of information they hold, reading through their descriptions and sites is encouraged. When registering to vote those that did not put in their Social Security, driver’s license number or their California identification number will have to submit a photocopy of this information to your county elections official in order to vote. If you do not submit this information your county elections official will contact you and request proof of identification. If no proof is submitted your mail in vote will not count. If an area is left blank it will not invalidate a ballot for other areas that are voted for. For Super Tuesday, voters can drop off their mail-in ballots at different locations around Ventura County.
Propositions and candidates running:
Proposition 1
Proposition 1 promises to authorize $6.38 billion to help build institutions where homeless individuals dealing with mental health and addiction issues can be helped. Of these bonds, $1 billion will be reserved for veterans who are experiencing homelessness or addiction. Those in favor of this bill believe that it will bring a much-needed transformation to the California Mental Health System. Opposing arguments of this bill say that Proposition 1 would be extremely expensive, cutting funds for current mental health programs such as the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) which is currently in place.
United States California Senators:
After Dianne Feinstein passed away while in office, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler, but refusing to run for the Senate seat, there will be five main candidates running for the finishing term of the California Senate, including two Republicans, Eric Early and Steve Garvey, and three Democratic candidates, Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.
Steve Garvey is a former professional baseball player, having played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. He is running for a republican position in the Senate along with Eric Early. Early is a business owner and attorney who joined the legal counsel in the “Recall Gavin Newsom” movement of 2021.
Katie Porter is a US Representative from California’s 47th congressional district from 2023, previously representing the 45th congressional district from 2019 to 2023. She is running as a Democrat candidate along with Adam Schiff who served on the California Senate before as the youngest Senate member in 1996. Barbara Lee is also running as a progressive Democrat who entered politics after joining the Black Panther Political Party and later became a US representative for the 12 District in California; she also serves on the House and Budget Committee.
US Representative for the 24th Congressional District
Voters will also be voting for their US Representative for the 24th Congressional District. Candidates include Salud Carbajal, the Democrat incumbent candidate who before working in the 24th district, served as a veteran in the Gulf War and worked in Santa Barbara’s county’s First District Supervisor for twelve years. In office, Carbajal has been Vice Chair on the House Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Running against Carbajal are Democrat Helena Pasquarella whose main concerns are with the healthcare system, living crisis and spending less money on war, and more on US citizens. Republican Thomas Cole is a retired developer, builder and civil rights activist who is a Founder of Analytics805, an election data research company in Montecito, Calif.
Judge of the Superior Court (Office No. 4)
There are four candidates running for Judge of the Superior Court including Edward “Ted” Andrews, the Senior Deputy District Attorney in Ventura County. Julia Snyder is endorsed by law enforcement agencies such as Oxnard Peace Officers Association and the National Latino Peace Officers Association Advocacy, Ventura County Chapter. She has “experience both as a current Ventura County Superior Court Commissioner and a former Deputy District Attorney” and is currently “an adjunct professor at the Ventura College of Law teaching Evidence.” Mike Malak is a judge who has 43 years of experience in California and Colorado. Lastly is John McBride, a local Venturan that graduated from Buena High School who has a diverse law background having dealings varying from civil law to criminal cases to divorce and family law.
For more tips check out the previous article from last year’s voters article that gives tips for new voters: Student voters the future of America and the California website for first time voters.
