A panel of Cal Poly professors discussed the upcoming presidential election in the University Union on Tuesday, just two weeks before Election Day. Roughly 55 students attended the panel hosted by the Political Science Department.
Political science professors Chris Den Hartog, Craig Asberry, Ron Den Otter and Annie Aguiñiga Frew explained what to expect on election night, political communication strategies, congressional races, swing states and California propositions on the ballot.
Charles Anthony Smith, a professor from the University of California, Irvine, planned to attend as a featured panelist. He was unable to attend due to a medical emergency, causing Den Otter and Aguiñiga Frew to step in.
Den Otter opened the panel, discussing the electoral college and urging students to pay attention to swing states and the possibility for a contested election.
A faithless elector is a representative in the electoral college that does not vote for the candidate they are pledged to vote for once that candidate wins the popular vote, Den Otter explained.
“If you think Cal Poly’s transition to semesters is going to be a mess in the near future, just wait for election night,” Den Otter said to the audience.
Additionally, Den Hartog spoke about the key states that determine control of the United States House of Representatives and touched on voter turnout in California. Aguiñiga Frew discussed California propositions and the importance of understanding where outside funding for propositions come from.
Finally, Asberry encouraged students that their vote matters and reiterated the importance of voting.
“[Voting is] the most important single thing that a young person can do to have an effect on the political system with the smallest amount of input,” Asberry told Mustang News.
