Ryan ChartrandI am proud of all my fellow Poly students for breaking voting records and opting to vote for what they believe in. Most of you probably showed up to vote primarily for president and Prop 8, both of which were the most controversial of the election.
Many voters probably had little idea about what Prop 11 accomplished or why it is important. The political districts we have are regions of voters that vote for local politicians as well as the State Assembly candidates. Under the old system of districting, voters were grouped by political leaning. This means that a district is extremely liberal or extremely conservative with few exceptions.
This may not seem bad on the outset: the voters in a region can agree on a candidate easily and be represented well. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Over the years, politicians have realized that they need not worry about re-election. Since conservative districts always vote Republican and vice versa, the politicians have stopped campaigning or even caring about the people they represent. Since their seats are secure, they allow corruption and fail to adopt policies that voters want.
Prop 11 aims to base districts geographically, rather than politically. Now politicians will run in districts that could swing either way; they must appeal to voters. I was elated that Poly went yes on Prop 11; know that it will break political strongholds and benefit voters across California.
Aaron Baldwin
electrical engineering sophomore