Politifest comes to USD

Professors and educators inform attendees on need-to-know information about the midterm election

Joshua Strange / Asst. News Editor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego hosted Politifest this past Saturday. The  public affairs summit focused on the issues and candidates that will appear on the upcoming ballot in November. From a full schedule of debates, panels, and one-on-one interviews with experts to providing a platform for residents and students to raise their voices,  Politifest was created to attempt to answer the hard-hitting questions. Around 800 people registered for the event and over 25 percent were students who took advantage of the free tickets that were provided by sponsors and interest groups.

Important guests and speakers included the mayors of Tijuana, Sacramento, and San Diego as well as California representatives from Congress, the state assembly, and the local San Diego council. More than a few topics were discussed over the six-and-a-half-hour event: the case for California independence from the United States, ways to get involved in the community, the loss of the Chargers, crash courses in ballot measures, Prop 10, Cannabis Tax, and undocumented life in the Trump era. 

Politifest honed in on the makeup of San Diego. It covered everything from infrastructure to journalism, diversity, community life, and even the role of students who become the next generation of workers, politicians, and taxpayers. Every part of the city breathes life into its future and part of the process is becoming educated about that makeup and figuring out how or what to change. 

Maria Coleman works several jobs, is a mother of two boys, and is majoring in political science at USD. She has dreams of becoming a diplomat.

“Seeing high ranking members of political life here in San Diego and the state of California just coming together to have a platform and share conversations with the community, students, media ,and people of all walks of life was important for me,” Coleman said. “This was a place to have an open discussion about issues and generate ideas and I’m happy Politifest was here at our school given what’s going on in our nation. I’m an immigrant and when Trump ran for office he said some really bad things and it angered me in a way that drove me to vote and it mobilized me as a citizen and a mother, especially knowing that a lot of people in my community can’t or don’t vote. People from both sides of the aisle came together to discuss things, regardless of party, and it was great to see that rather than the dissent and argument we might be used to seeing.” 

Sienna Todd, a USD sophomore and a visual arts and international relations double major,  attended the panels about civility in politics and undocumented life in the Trump era. She networked with government employees, fellowship recipients, and a real estate magnate who had worked abroad for several years in Russia. 

“Something I really liked was the sense of community and the emphasis on undocumented immigrants being people and that we need to have empathy because the legislation we create affects families and human beings, they’re not just data,” Todd said. “Civility is a means to make sure people are comfortable with a conversation but that should not inhibit you from delving deeper into a topic, you need to approach different dialogues and discourses with the understanding that everyone deserves respect. Part of our voices are expressed in individual interactions and our ability to engage in dialogue about the things that we are passionate about but it’s also important to know we have a voice through our vote. Getting involved in our campus is definitely important but even taking the two minutes to register to vote is imperative for our political system.” 

San Diego boasts the  largest economy in California. Despite that, San Diego has the highest poverty rate in the nation. Issues like affordable housing, homelessness, and immigration policy were consistent themes at the event. Anna Scharrer, a USD sophomore majoring in finance and French, aspires to go into the financial development of emerging economies. 

“Local politics, especially in San Diego, really matter,” Scarrer said. “We are in an interesting strategic location for a lot of debates that tend to be very divisive and a lot of people’s lives can be affected by what we choose in the upcoming election. USD is the castle on the hill. New radical ideas are born here, and we have an open and diverse environment. Misconceptions around immigrants is a super important issue for people at USD and southern California and it was good to hear from people who are actually affected by it. We were all placed on this earth and we have to find a way to live together and have civil conversations.”

In less than a month, on Nov. 6, the midterm elections will be taking place in the middle of President Trump’s first term. 

The next governor of California will be decided along with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate. 

Politifest enabled students and community members to receive more information about the upcoming midterm election and become better informed citizens in the future.