By Chiyoung Kim
North Hollywood High School, Grade 10___11/1/10 — As candidates make their last push for favorable votes before Election Day, which is Nov. 2, volunteers from all over the San Fernando Valley, many of them high school students, flock to political party headquarters to give their time pushing the political agenda they believe is best for their communities.
Meeting in a repurposed Hollywood Video store, volunteers for the Democratic Party get together and make phone calls to the denizens of North Hollywood in various districts. The Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley supports Jerry Brown, John Chiang, Gavin Newsom, Debra Bowen and Barbara Boxer. It supports Propositions 19, 21, 24, 25, and 27, while opposing Propositions 20, 22, 23, and 26.
Disagreeing with the Democratic Party’s choices, the Republican Party supports candidates Meg Brown, Abel Maldanado, Damon Dunn, Tony Strickland, and Carly Fiorina.
Despite the opposite views on who the right candidates for various offices are and which propositions to support, the experience of being a part of the campaigns is a shared experience.
“I especially like volunteering because it gives me a chance to take part in the politics of our government,” Michael Vaysman, a sophomore at North Hollywood High School, explained. He volunteers at his nearest Republican Party headquarters. “You can do any volunteer work to help your community but by taking part in politics you give not only to your community but to the country overall.”
The Democratic Party’s chair, Agi Kessler, says that people should get involved in politics because “the things that are being voted on will affect the rest of your lives.” She wants not only the volunteers, but members of the community, to learn “how important it is for people to elect candidates and pass propositions that you believe in,” and “how important it is to vote every election.”
Many students volunteered from Mr. Toy’s class at North Hollywood, not only for community service and extra credit points, but also for the experience.
“I liked it because it was an easy way of getting involved in politics and campaigning,” Janice Uhm, another sophomore at North Hollywood High School, said. “It was also special because I was able to see a whole bunch of different reactions. By talking to people, you can tell how much people are interested or devoted to politics. I really enjoyed it. It was my first time actually campaigning for a political party.”
Nathan Agmon, also a sophomore from North Hollywood, had a similar experience.
“Working at the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley originally seemed like a boring idea. Repetitious phone calls to disgruntled people were certainly not my cup of tea. However, after working there for a few hours, my views on the entire campaigning process changed.”
Regardless of political party differences, many students said they gained a positive experience and learned about politics, government, and their communities as volunteers of a political party.