At a time when many young people feel overwhelmed by politics, local leaders delivered the message: your vote matters, especially at home, during a panel at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) 

Students gathered on Thursday to hear from Bakersfield Vice Mayor Manpreet Kaur, Councilmember Eric Arias, and CSUB Associate Professor Dr. Ivy Cargile to share their input on why it’s important to be involved in their community and local government.

The event, titled “Importance of Your Voice in Local Politics,” was hosted by Associated Students, Inc. 

Student leader Zaina Farraj, who hosted the discussion, said the goal was to show students how decisions made by local officials directly affect their daily lives.

“Real change starts at the local level, right here at home,” Farraj said. “Our local government includes bodies like the City Council, the County Board of Supervisors, and school boards. These leaders make decisions about the things right outside our front doors, the streets we drive on, the housing we can afford, and our children’s education.”

When asked why some young voters feel their voice doesn’t matter, leaders acknowledged a growing sense of political burnout.

“It’s a frustrating time,” Arias said. “But this idea of apathy is exactly what they want. If you feel like your vote doesn’t matter, then the people trying to limit your rights are winning.”

Cargile pointed to the number of national court cases focused on rollbacks to voting access.

“If our voices didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be trying to silence us so much,” she said. “Voting is a habit. Once you vote in three consecutive elections, they’ve got you.”

Kaur, the first Punjabi Sikh woman elected to the Bakersfield City Council, said the Central Valley presents unique challenges, but also rare access to elected officials.

“In Los Angeles, you don’t just walk up to your councilmember,” she said. “Here, you can go to their office. You can intern. You can be the person shaping the community you grew up in.”

She encouraged students to pick one issue that matters to them and start there, whether infrastructure, food access, or bodily autonomy.

“If each of us picks a cause, we can take care of each other,” she said.

Students asked how to challenge elected leaders while building relationships with them. Kaur offered a personal story: before she was in office, she and Arias were on opposite sides of a redistricting debate.

Community organizing, late-night strategy calls, and united voices led Bakersfield to adopt the only community-drawn redistricting map approved in California.

“It took everyone cashing in their political capital,” she said. “We work for you. You are supposed to keep us accountable.”

Arias added that students’ assumptions about politicians aren’t always accurate; sometimes leaders don’t know as much about an issue as people assume.

He shared that when he first joined the city council, he discovered a former councilmember had never seen the homelessness crisis at MLK Park firsthand. To show her the challenges, he took her on a tour of the park, pointing out homeless encampments, graffiti, and the lack of families or children using the space.

“Conversation matters,” Arias said. “Put the phones down for a moment and acknowledge humanity across the table.”

Grassroots organizations, mutual aid networks, and campus groups were all highlighted as powerful tools by the panelists. But the leaders gave the advice that students cannot wait until they feel fully informed.

“You are political scientists every day,” Kaur said. “You are documenting what’s happening in your neighborhoods and homes. That lived experience should be shaping policy.”

“Young advocates are already proving effective,” Arias said. 

He recalled middle schoolers who recently convinced the council to address unsafe school crosswalks after a student was killed.

“That may have been the first time I saw a unanimous round of applause from the whole council,” he said.

Cargile closed with a reminder that democracy depends on participation.

“There will always be people ready to make the decision for you,” she said. “Don’t let that happen in your life. Don’t let that happen in your city.”