Human Rights Watch Student Task Force held a mock election on Oct. 9 in Mercer Hall. Some classes were scheduled to go during block schedule classes, but all students had the opportunity to vote during lunch or nutrition.

Students who participated voted on California propositions that will be on the ballot during the upcoming midterm elections, which will be held on Nov. 6. In addition, students 16 and older had the chance to pre-register to vote. During the first 40 minutes of each block, Human Right Watch Student Task Force members provided an overview of the ballot and the importance of voting.

“Twenty percent of voters in the 18-to-35 range voted in the last midterm election,” said junior Salma Durra, one of the event’s organizers. “I hope that a lot of students talk to adults that they know can vote, and that they make them pledge to vote.”

Jocelyn Alvarado from the Office of the City Clerk was on hand to help administer the mock election. “We are here because we want to inform voters on how they can get involved,” Alvarado said. “Not only that, but we want to promote our local elections. Sadly, our local elections are the ones that have the lowest voter turnout.

“No matter who goes out and votes on election day, we’re all affected by the outcome. We want to make our elections fair. We want to make sure that every voter is well informed and ready to vote in any election,” Alvarado added.

More than 600 students showed up to vote on Propositions 4, 7, and 10, which California voters can decide on Nov. 6.

Proposition 4 is an initiative to authorize a bond of $1.5 billion to fund construction at children’s hospitals. Proposition 7 seeks to allow the California Legislature to eliminate the practice of moving the clock backward in the fall and forward in the spring. Proposition 10 urges voters to expand local government’s authority to enact rent control on residential properties.

“When you vote, you’re trying to … preserve your human rights and what’s best for you and the people,” Durra explained. “Voting is a right that we Americans take so much for granted. We want to emphasize the importance of voting because eventually when we’re going to be of age to vote, we want to get rid of the apathy that’s been going on.”