"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more in context."
— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project
"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more when it is in context."
— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project
Home / Blog / Scenes from Sacramento: How Can California Overcome Its Voter Disillusionment?
Scenes from Sacramento: How Can California Overcome Its Voter Disillusionment?
California Humanities
Above (left to right): Chris Nichols (CapRadio), Tere Flores (Sacramento ACT), Mindy Romero (USC Price School of Public Policy), and Dr. Christopher Towler (Sacramento State, Director of the Black Voter Project) at How Can California Overcome Its Voter Disillusionment? at the Sacramento Public Library Galleria, October 3, 2024. Photo credit: California Humanities.
As we approach Election Day, we encourage everyone to get out and vote! This important day where we exercise our civic engagement was the subject of a public program California Humanities hosted last month, How Can California Overcome Its Voter Disillusionment? Taking place October 3, 2024 and kicking off Arts and Humanities Month, our dynamic panelists discussed the state’s election history and shared concrete steps for how these insights can improve voter participation here in California and across the country; a topic as complex as the beautiful ceiling at the Sacramento Public Library Galleria is high.
Partners on this program included the James B. McClatchy Foundation, which focuses on education and promoting active civic participation in our democracy, and Capital Public Radio, both with an important regional presence in the Sacramento and Central Valley areas. Our panelists were a diverse group from across education and advocacy spaces: Tere FloresOnofre (Sacramento ACT), Mindy Romero (USC Price School of Public Policy), and Dr. Christopher Towler (Sacramento State, Director of the Black Voter Project), and moderator Chris Nichols (CapRadio).
**Takeaways to Share**
—To help turn out the vote, ask your family and friends: “What is your voting plan?” Low propensity voters and high turnout voters have been shown to respond to this simple nudge. —Play the long game. Voter bases widen when we talk year-round with friends, family and constituents about our shared civic life. Take wisdom from Australia—a county with one of the highest voter turnouts globally—and bring food. Their “sausage sizzle” at the polls makes voting a social and communal experience. —Nonpartisan approaches keep discourse civil. Bring everyone together by focusing on schools, libraries, roads, and other common needs for the public good. —Improvement *is* possible. California’s universal mail in ballot option in 2020 shrunk the gap in turnout between overrepresented and underrepresented groups grow smaller; primarily for young people. And experiments like DMV registration have greatly increased the number of registered voters; while multilingual ballots have increased informed participation. (Source: “Equity in Voter Turnout after Pandemic Election Policy Changes”, co-authored by Mindy Romero)
Below are scenes from this special gathering:
Please find a recording of the program below. Thank you to the team at Studio 611 for providing this and AV support at our event!
Thank you to The James B. McClatchy Foundation Central Valley Democracy Fund for their generous support of this program, and to Capitol Public Radio for their media broadcast sponsorship. Thanks also to Lagunitas Brewing Company for their donation of locally brewed beers for the occasion.