‘92 SAN GABRIEL VALLEY ELECTIONS : Hitting the Magic Age, Students Cast First Ballots

Shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, the break bell rang and students poured into the courtyard at Pasadena High School. One of them, Nelson Diaz, 18, planned to visit a polling booth for the first time in his life later in the day.

“I’m going to go with my mom; tell her who to vote for,” the senior student said.

The Diaz family has a pressing reason to support a candidate who will help turn the economy around. Nelson’s father, a pipe fitter, lost his job a year ago and hasn’t been able to find other work.

“Monday night we all listened to Perot on TV and that’s who we’re going to vote for,” young Diaz said. “He knows about money. He’s going to help this country. Everyone else is fighting amongst themselves, but he’s actually doing something.”

Ismael Mejia, a senior, will long remember Election Day, 1992. It was also his 18th birthday, and Mejia made sure he registered in time to be able to cast his first presidential vote Tuesday--for Bill Clinton.

“He’s pro-choice, which is important to me,” Mejia said. “He has promised a lot, but he’s aware of what’s going on.”

Mejia said he didn’t realize his birthday fell on Election Day until a history teacher brought it to his attention and urged him to register. Now he’s glad he did.

“It’s my life, and I want to have a say in what’s going on, so I’d better vote,” Mejia said. He planned to vote right after school let out.

Meanwhile Steve Seetal, 17, fumed. Seetal will turn 18 today, two days too late to have a say in the 1992 presidential election.

“I wanted to vote so bad,” said Seetal, who favored Perot. “I preregistered and everything, because I heard if you turned 18 this year you could vote, but they said no. I wanted to vote because sooner or later this place is going to be ours. I have so much to say about what’s going on, how our school system is getting screwed up, all these fake promises.

“I feel sorry for people who live in this city and can vote and don’t take advantage of it, because there are people who have died for the right to vote. It’s not fair.”