The USC Center for the Political Future is celebrating National Voter Registration Day on Trousdale Parkway and Founders Park on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizations including the USC Undergraduate Student Government and the USC Political Student Assembly will offer support to students.
“People sometimes always think that, you know, ‘my vote won’t matter,’” said Kayden Williams, a sophomore studying political science and serving as assistant director of the USC Political Science Assembly. “Your vote can change so much, and it is so much. I think it’s so important that…young students’ [voices are] being heard because we are the next generation. We are the people that will be in power soon.”
The Nov. 3 general election will be the first since California’s new congressional district map, approved by voters through Proposition 50 in 2025. The map will be used for congressional elections through 2030, until the California Citizens Redistricting Commission draws new districts following the 2030 census.
The new map was designed to improve Democrats’ chances of winning additional U.S. House seats, potentially giving the party an advantage in as many as five districts, according to the Associated Press.
“The midterms are almost more important [than the presidential election] because your voice literally is shown so much… You could be changing how many people are in the House,” Williams said. “You could be flipping from Republican to Democrat, from Democrat to Republican, et cetera.”
There are also many concerns about the economy of the nation. The U.S. is in a nearly $2 trillion annual budget deficit, according to the American Action Forum.
Giselle Sanano, a junior studying journalism who is from Orange County, expressed her concerns about the economy as a California native.
“Obviously, living in Los Angeles, it is really apparent how everything is so expensive, but I would say that it’s the biggest issue within California, even for the midterms,” Sanano said.
President Donald Trump has promised $5,000 to every U.S. adult if the GOP wins, a move that would most likely cost $1 trillion and require congressional approval, according to AP News.
In an interview with CBS News, the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, said that the dividend money would not come from taxpayers but from allowing wealthy individuals to pay $5 million to extend their U.S. visas by 270 days.
“I don’t believe anything that man says,” Sanano said of the promised dividend. “[The added debt is] extremely concerning…As someone who obviously goes to a school that is a lot of money, it is very concerning that… I have to now worry [about] extra money after [college].”
Trump has also been attempting to limit mail-in ballots by implementing stricter requirements on mail-in ballots prior to the midterms, but the Supreme Court rejected his restrictions today.
Johniece Reynolds, a junior studying biomedical engineering, is registered to vote in her home state of Virginia, and said limiting mail-in ballots was unfair for out-of-state students.
“Not all of us are available to access those resources when we are in college,” Reynolds said. “[Mail-in ballots] being taken away is definitely a way to limit people in their voice being heard.”
Despite possible limitations, Reynolds does believe that voting is important and necessary, and would have registered to vote with USC had she not already been registered.
“If you’re not out voting, you can’t be mad about a law in place when you couldn’t go out yourself,” Reynolds said.
External partners at the USC event will also share internship and entry-level job opportunities for students interested in politics, public service and community engagement.
Edited by Natalie Cerna
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include additional material.