On Dec. 20, 2020, two candidates campaigning for a four-year term on the BOUSD school board found themselves deadlocked with 1,805 votes apiece.
To break the tie, the election turned to an unconventional solution: a single die rolled twice by each candidate. The sum of both rolls would determine the winner of the coveted, policy-making school board seat.
Incumbent Gail Lyons, BOUSD trustee, rolled a two and a one, while 26-year-old challenger Lauren Barnes (‘16) rolled a pair of ones.
One dot determined the winner.
Had just one more Brea resident voted, a citizen’s voice — not luck — would have determined a powerful local position.
BOHS students who will be eligible to vote need to understand the value of their ballot, especially in local elections.
Shaping city policy, determining school board seats, enacting safety measures for our community, and voting for a bond that will improve the district’s aging campuses are just a few examples of the importance of casting ballots in this year’s election.
Take, for instance, Measure H, the BOUSD School Board Bond on the ballot in November. If passed, there will be funds to replace deteriorating roofs and electrical systems, remove asbestos and lead, modernize classrooms, expand science labs, improve accessibility for students with disabilities, incorporate up-to-date instructional technology, and more.
For the vote to pass, 55% of Brea voters must vote “yes” for the bond. (The last time the citizens of Brea voted in favor of a school improvement bond: 1999.)
Your vote also matters on a statewide scale. This year, voters will decide on propositions that could affect the right to same-sex marriage, the increase of the minimum wage to $18/hour, and the expansion of mental health services.
Nationally, young voters will choose between former president Donald Trump and his pick for vice president, JD Vance, and Vice President Kamala Harris and her pick for VP, Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
If Harris is elected, our generation will be partly responsible for voting into the Oval Office the first woman — and the first woman of color, at that — in our nation’s 248-year history.
This election may have a record-breaking youth turn-out at the ballot box, with superstar musicians like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish leading efforts to register new voters before the Nov. 5 election.
On Sept. 10, following the first, and possibly only debate between candidates Trump and Harris, Swift posted to her Instagram account (with its 284 million followers) her endorsement of Harris and Walz, which led to a surge of 405,999 visits to vote.org.
On Sept. 17, National Voter Registration Day, Eilish spoke directly to her 119 million Instagram followers, also endorsing Harris and Walz, and encouraging fans to check their voter registration status at iwillvote.com.
When so much is at stake — abortion rights, immigration reform, and taxation to name a few — choosing not to vote should not be an option.
Especially when registering is so easy: You can pick up a voter registration form in front of the inside ASB window in the main office, or even register online. Both options take mere minutes to complete.
And voting is just as easy: There are mail-in ballot drop-boxes in front of the Brea Civic Center and at the Brea Sports Park, and there will be polling stations at the Brea Civic and Cultural Center (Community Rooms A and B) and at the Brea Community Center.
To all newly eligible, and future, voters: register to vote (Oct. 21 is the last day to register), educate yourselves on the issues that matter most to you, and make your voices heard at the ballot box.
Every ballot cast ensures that our leaders are elected for their values and capabilities, not by lucky die rolls. Your vote can shape the direction of our community.
So to all new and veteran voters: Cast a ballot in the November elections.
