Various 5C community members took the stage in Pitzer College’s Benson Auditorium on Tuesday, Oct. 22 to discuss on-campus and local initiatives relating to the upcoming elections on Nov. 5.
In a panel hosted by Pitzer Political Studies Professor Rachel VanSickle-Ward, three current 5C students and one alumnus gathered to discuss their activism in this election cycle.
Emily Rose Pollins SC ’26, co-president of the Scripps Reproductive Justice Club (SRJC), Isabel Apfel PZ ’26 of Every Vote Counts Claremont (EVCC), Annika Weber PO ’27, a regional campus organizer for Swing Left’s Los Angeles chapter and Karen May PO ’89 of the Service Employees International Union Local 1000 (SEIU) all discussed their efforts to engage and inform populations in this election cycle, all noting a particular emphasis on college-aged voters.
Pollins talked about the importance of this election for reproductive rights, discussing the potential for Trump to upend abortion rights through Supreme Court appointees and his ties to Project 2025.
“If we look at the Trump administration, there are a couple of things that are really concerning and threatening reproductive access,” Pollins said. “One is the actualization of Project 2025 which the Trump administration has shown alliance with.”
Pollins went on to discuss specific methods outlined in Project 2025 that could upend reproductive rights and abortion access, such as restricting access to abortion medications.
To elevate this message of protecting reproductive rights, the SRJC will host events on election education and abortion rights in the near future to further promote their mission of education and awareness of reproductive rights.
Another on-campus organization working to expand awareness around the election is EVCC, a 5C nonpartisan group.
“Our goal at EVC Claremont is to acknowledge voting is a civil duty but we also want to make it a civil celebration,” Apfel said. “Making voting exciting for young people is a huge part of the game.”
To Apfel, the nonpartisan nature of her group is particularly important to getting more people out to vote.
“There’s a very deep need for nonpartisan and less charged interaction,” Apfel stated. “When I’m helping out in my community, it’s really important that we make everyone feel included.”
EVCC tabled at Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College’s first-year orientation events, which Apfel noted their success in registering around 200 new voters. Additionally, a recent voter carnival boasted over 350 attendees.
Similarly, Weber’s work revolves around engaging with local 5C students but with a lens focused on promoting Democratic candidates.
“There are some amazing nonpartisan groups but we wanted to create a space where people could get outdoor knocking for specific candidates which nonpartisan groups are not allowed to do,” Weber noted.
Weber discussed how, although most headlines revolve around the presidential election, much of her group’s work has revolved around smaller congressional races in the region.
“Our theory of change this semester is to focus on congressional districts that could shift the national balance of power,” Weber said.
Specifically, Weber mentioned the CA-41 race as Will Rollins, D-Ca., hopes to unseat the incumbent, Ken Calvert, R-Ca., and the CA-27 race where incumbent Mike Garcia, R-Ca., is up against George Whitesides, D-Ca. In these tight races, Swing Left believes that a few hundred votes could be the difference in flipping these districts to Democratic seats.
Similar to these engaged student panelists on campus, May noted that much of her work today was influenced by her time as a student at Pomona. May’s history of activism started in her youth where she worked as a boycotter with the United Farm Workers union, among other groups.
“[Pomona College] is where my activist journey began,” May said.
From her work at the SEIU, May observed a power disparity that allows corporate interests to wield money and power to influence electoral politics through lobbying efforts.
“Our system currently is pretty unbalanced,” May said. “Corporations have huge resources that they can funnel into the elections process … regular people don’t have that same level of resources to fight back. Unions are one of the few institutions in this country that have some resources to be able to do that.”
The panelists emphasized that many young people feel unheard, particularly on issues such as climate change or the war in Israel and Palestine, but argue that young activists and voters getting involved is key to fostering the changes that they want to see.
“[5C students] are in these very privileged and elite spaces and within that are able to get a really good education and be really informed about the implications of the election, law and politics in general,” Pollins said. “With that also comes the ability to educate other people.”
The speakers shared sentiments about the energy that young people bring into these movements and how impactful that can be both in garnering more support and influencing election outcomes.
Weber mentioned how young canvassers can provide energy to older canvassers. She noted that the sharing of perspectives among different generations can create a more understanding community, which May termed “reciprocal learning.”
“[Young people] can provide that passion and then [seniors] have very valuable wisdom and expertise that we can learn from,” Weber said.
That emphasis on the role young voters can play in elections appeared to hit home with some attendees, with many finding inspiration to engage even further in this election cycle after listening to the panelists.
Attendee Will Brooks PZ ’26 mentioned prior involvement in various political groups and initiatives but agreed that the panel inspired them to do even more as the election nears.
“I think the phone banking [discussed in the panel] sounds pretty interesting,” Brooks said. “I feel like it’s a bit more of a hands-on way to actually have an impact on the election.”
Diego Fuentebella PZ ’26 echoed Brooks’ sentiments on the impact of the panel.
“I’ve been involved with FieldTeam6 and Vote Save America and other organizations and this is only pushing me to take an even more critical look and see what impact I can make,” he said.
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