California residents turned in their ballots today to vote on a variety of issues, including an unusual Senate race and the presidential primaries. Yet, for many of USC’s out-of-state students, being registered elsewhere meant they could not head to the local polls.
Annenberg Media spoke to students registered to vote in states other than California to discuss the importance of registration and their registration plans.
Name: Luca Dipaolo
Year: Sophomore
Major: Business administration
Hometown: Lake Havasu, Arizona
Registered in their home state: Yes
“I am not registered to vote here in Los Angeles, but I think it is very important because there [are] a lot of big issues that need to be solved, and that is a group effort.”
Name: Kaikea Harrison
Year: Sophomore
Major: Communications
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
Registered in their home state: Not sure
“I honestly don’t really know, I mean I never really cared much about if I was registered or not.”
Name: Charleston Harvey
Year: Junior
Major: Theater
Hometown: New York City, New York
Registered in their home state: Yes
“I was just having a conversation with my mom and telling her that I need to register to vote here because I just learned the primaries were today. It’s too late to do it now but I will do it later.”
Name: Alex Buettgen
Year: Sophomore
Major: Journalism
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Registered in their home state: Yes
“I do think it’s important for out-of-state students to get out there and vote here in Los Angeles, however, I haven’t had the time to. But I do plan on doing so.”