(POMONA, Calif.) – Many students are in the dark on what topics are going to be addressed in the upcoming election, and unsure of which way to vote. “Oh, I don’t know […] I’ll probably vote democratic because that is what my family does,” said Rachel Petak, a third-year apparel merchandising and management student. The new ballot puts forward 13 propositions to amend California law. Props 1A through 1E represent the state legislature, and props 83-90 coming from peoples’ initiatives.

Prop 1B allows the state to sell $19.9 billion in bonds for modifications to reduce traffic congestion, enlarge local transit, and improve air quality and earthquake safety. The proposition is supposed to reduce annoying traffic back ups, which in the bigger picture will strengthen our economy without raising taxes. However, if not passed, the legislature is confined to spend within existing funds, and there will not be a risk of the budget deficit increasing. Prop 1C funds housing programs, introduces more affordable homes and cleans up the environment. This proposition introduces shelters for battered women and services for the homeless, yet has resistance from some for irresponsible debt by giving average families the responsibility of paying for the less fortunate. Prop 1D permits the state to sell $10.4 billion in bonds to improve K-12 schools, expand community colleges and public university facilities. This prop is seen as an opportunity to update education facilities and technology, yet is criticized for the debt that will ensue due to these costs.

Prop 85 requires parental notification of an abortion of an unmarried girl under 18. This proposition teeters on the borderline in overturning aspects of Roe v. Wade and infringing on personal decisions; however, parents would be allowed to protect their underage children from dangerous medical procedures. Prop 86 raises a cigarette tax on cigarettes to $2.60 to fund hospital care improvements. This proposition sets out to decrease smokers and save up to $16 billion in health care costs, but is judged for hospitals pocketing money themselves without any real designation of where the money is going. Prop 88 sets a taxing property on state parcels for K-12 to cover costs of books, school safety and class reduction efforts. Ideally, this prop sets out to reduce class sizes with provided textbooks and materials; however, it introduces the risks of property taxes and is criticized for not specifically allocating funds.

These anticipated issues may not be the most pressing news on campus as fourth-year business student, Nick Mussey, replied after being asked his opinion on the issues, “Huh?…Yea, so where’s the party tonight?” Most students shrug off voting because they don’t see it as a priority in their already hectic lives.But the vote is the only way to have an opinion in societal issues. “I just haven’t had the time to look up the propositions. I’ve been so busy. I’ll research later,” said Marina Coria, a fourth-year fine arts student. The official voter information guide is accessible online, amongst other readily available sources. It provides ballot summaries, pro/cons of each proposition and other useful tools which make voting easy and understandable.

Political Science professor William Mark expressed his wish to see “more forums around campus discussing current issues, even in a partisan way, getting the young Democrats or Republicans active.”