Campaign Provides Real-Life Civics Lesson

While the marathon vote count in the presidential race has been touted as a national civics lesson, 300 teenagers got their own political education firsthand during a local legislative campaign.

Assembly candidate Sally Havice, who was reelected in the 56th Assembly District on a platform emphasizing educational improvements, depended on hundreds of high school volunteers to get her message out. And the students really got into the campaign work.

“It’s my way of getting involved,” said James Quinteros, a 17-year-old Bellflower High School student, who now dreams of becoming governor of California.

Though Havice’s teenage volunteers arrived with no previous political experience and only a few were old enough to vote, she attributes a large part of her success to their work.

“They were the ones who carried the word into neighborhoods, parents and teachers,” said Havice, who has taught English at Cerritos Community College for 23 years.

The Cerritos-based Democrat spent two weeks in September visiting six area high schools and found eager volunteers. Havice had sent letters to government classes throughout the district and went to those that responded, said Mike Pulido, her campaign manager.

Her large district includes Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Lakewood and parts of Hawaiian Gardens and north Long Beach. She had a campaign budget of $150,000 for field operations and $800,000 for mailers, but she said the teenagers’ energy and enthusiasm were welcome.

“I talked to them in class and told them about issues I had supported. I wanted to bring home to them that this affects them very directly,” Havice said, adding that she tried to teach the students about state grants and scholarships for college.

Some were swayed by the pitch that students should have a voice in school-related legislation, others jumped on board for the free extra credit points in exchange for a week’s worth of volunteer hours.

But after watching the presidential debates at pizza parties and holding late-night political discussions, they were hooked. Many went to Havice’s Bellflower headquarters for the entire six weeks before the election to staff the phones, canvass their own neighborhoods and put up signs. They showed up before the homecoming dance, after the SATs and even on Halloween.

“I finished my hours in only nine days,” said Gahr High School student Iris Tam, a soft-spoken 18-year-old who kept going back because she liked being a part of the campaign team.

Quinteros became so passionate about campaigning, that he read any election-related material he could find. He wanted to be ready for the arguments he expected in the field.

“Many people tried to be snotty because I’m not old enough to vote,” Quinteros said, adding that at times he felt more prepared than the voters he talked to. “Many people vote on propositions or issues based on just what they’ve heard and not what they read.”

Other students said they not only felt ownership in this local campaign but also learned about the larger political process.

Twins Catalina and Valentina Paz are student politicians--student body president and vice president respectively of Bellflower High--but said they “never even knew what a Democrat was.”

“It taught me so much more than just watching elections on TV,” Catalina said Monday. “It got me more interested. My sister and I talked about it every day after we got home from helping Sally.”

The idea behind student volunteers started in Havice’s first campaign in 1996. One night, a couple of teenagers poked their heads inside her election headquarters and asked what she was doing. Her answer turned into a course in civics and by the end of the evening, Havice had recruited some volunteers. Word spread and she eventually had 100 teenagers walking door to door campaigning for her.

“It’s the right thing to do for so many reasons,” said Pulido, who grew up in Cerritos and Bellflower. “These students are from the area and know the district the best. They are the future leaders of this community and the nation.”

In the end, Havice won with a 22-percentage point lead over her opponent, Republican candidate Grace Hu. But even before the final results came in, Havice was celebrating with her volunteers.

Raising a glass of sparkling cider, she thanked her campaign staff for all their hard work

“I want to see you there too someday,” Havice said.

By 9:30 p.m., the campaign headquarters--plastered with homemade “Vote for Sally” posters--was nearly empty. It was, after all, a school night and the staff had to get home to do their homework.