![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/o44roaml.png\")
Students register to vote at the Oct. 11 Johnston National Convention. California\u2019s deadline for online voter registration was Oct. 21, 15 days before the Nov. 5 election.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/x764tfdj.png\")
These tables provide information about the voting process and specific ballot measures during the Oct. 11 Johnston National Convention. The nearest table, run by members of the Planned Parenthood Generation Action club, highlighted measures regarding reproductive health.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/z8c5imtk.png\")
Juniors Andries Castellano, left, and Chrysanthemum Ahmed, right, give a thumbs-up during the Oct. 11 Johnston National Convention. Castellano, a student in Sieber\u2019s class, gave raffle tickets to those who stopped by each table at the convention.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nThose who visited all of the tables received a free item from the Daytime Java coffee shop and were entered into a gift card raffle. There was also a free lunch of burritos with all the fixings, chips and desserts – with gluten free and vegan options too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being a bipartisan convention, this event welcomed people from all political perspectives. Seiber said this was a point of emphasis, as he did not want people to feel threatened or singled out. For instance, indications of party preference, like candidate posters, were nonexistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re just encouraging discourse rather than how to vote,\u201d Seiber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a common belief that one vote carries little, if any, impact on an election. However, Seiber refuted this misconception and explained just how powerful the right to vote is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are in a kind of generational shift in the electorate, in which more and more young people have felt disempowered by our political system. And so they choose not to vote, and therefore the interests and investments of older generations are over-represented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In providing pure, unbiased information, this convention also worked to increase voter confidence. Seiber explained how fake news, which is increasingly common in our day and age of widespread media, can drive people away from politics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvents like this encourage people to kind of see past those fears and to the appropriate and robust functioning of our democratic system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first glance, the voting process may appear complicated – especially for those who just turned 18. However, Sebier explained that it is quite the opposite. First of all, he said most states allow voters to register online and even provide the option of receiving ballot updates. Secondly, Seiber said there are a wide variety of voter guides that simplify ballot measures. For example, those interested in environmental issues can refer to voter guides from groups like the Sierra Club, a national environmental organization, to filter down the ballot measures to those of greatest interest. Major news publications, like the LA Times or Washington Post, are also helpful resources, Seiber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/i0jtz8t9-1024x856.png\")
Students in Sieber\u2019s class educate people about California ballot measures and propositions with a spin-the-wheel game during the Oct. 11 Johnston National Convention. From left to right: sophomore Scott Willis, senior Peter Vargas and junior Solus Cutler.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Lastly, Seiber pointed out that one does not need to vote on every ballot measure. Skipping over measures will not render the ballot invalid. That being said, one national ballot measure Seiber encouraged people not to leave blank is immigration because of the extensive impact it carries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven if a topic in a national election seems to be really far away,\u201d he said, \u201cit actually might be really local and becoming informed helps you see that connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a more local scale, Seiber encouraged people to pay close attention to the topic of banned books. He also mentioned that Hillary Jenkins, who works in the Environmental Studies program here at the University of Redlands, is running for the local water board. Seiber said Jenkins not only proves that the university is connected with local issues, but also serves as an example of the civic engagement described at the JNC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If anything, Seiber hoped this Johnston National Convention increased voter registration and conveyed the importance of being well-informed on political topics. He pointed out how modern technology tends to constantly feed people information they already agree with rather than being exposed to different perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want students to feel confident in having conversations with others, on or off-campus, without being in an echo chamber,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what encouraging civic engagement is about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the presidential election less than a month away, there is no better time to break free of the echo chamber and prepare to cast one\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photos by McKenzie Rose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bekins Lawn was a bright beacon of patriotism as the Johnston National Convention equipped students with everything they<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":1561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"Bekins Hall puts on a patriotic appearance for the Oct. 11 Johnston National Convention. These decorations were one of the many aspects planned by Sieber\u2019s class.","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[248,247,55],"class_list":["post-1560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-johnston-center","tag-presidential-election","tag-student-life"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0dtv850g.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1566,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1560\/revisions\/1566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theredlandsbulldog.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}