ICYMI: Virtual California Prop Party with The Civics Center
Last week, KCET partnered with The Civics Center to host "CA Prop Party" — a free virtual event for students and educators, where we shared Ballot Brief's "Props In a Minute" short video explainers with voters gearing up for Election Day.
Based in Los Angeles, The Civics Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving youth voter registration and civic engagement through education, policy and advocacy, and volunteer organizing. Right now, The Civics Center is focusing on turning voter registrations into actual votes.
CA VOTERS! 🌴 Your voter registration deadline is coming up quickly! Check your voter registration status or register today at https://t.co/6awsrR23AW pic.twitter.com/woUxfsEG0u
— The Civics Center (@TheCivicsCenter) October 20, 2022
Together, we took an impartial look at the California propositions to help students make informed decisions as they head to the polls.
But first, a reminder of the key principles behind state-wide ballot initiatives in California:
The California propositions are notoriously confusing and complex, so The Civics Center reminded voters of four key questions to ask in order to help them make their own decisions (and cut through the clutter of all that advertising that's trying to sway them one way or the other):
- Who proposed the measure, who's funding the measure, and who supports it?
- Why is this issue is going through the voters themselves and not through state legislature? (An example in Los Angeles County is Proposition LH.)
- If passed, how can it be amended in the future? (What are we "locking" ourselves into?)
- Do you agree or disagree with the policy?
Participants in the virtual "party" then watched each of our "Props In a Minute" video explainers and shared which way they were leaning — "Yes" or "No" — on each of the seven propositions on this year's ballot for the midterm elections.
The "votes" they cast weren't official, of course — but for students who'll be voting for the first time in the November 8 General Election, it served as a kind of trial run leading up to filling out their mail-in ballots or heading to the polls.
In case you missed it, you can watch the recording here:
Reminder: Election Day is November 8, but you may mail or drop off your paper ballot right now.
