A student juggles apples while registering to vote
A student juggles apples while registering to vote. Daniel A. Anderson / University Communications

There’s no shortage of political opinion at UC Irvine, and a number of campus groups and student organizations have organized events where those opinions can be heard. From a scholarly discussion of the presidential election and its importance to students to a “hot topics” debate, the pre-election schedule has it all.

And it doesn’t stop on Nov. 4. Expert pollster John Zogby will appear at UCI postelection as part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellows Series to talk about why America voted as it did. Read on for the list of upcoming election events.

The Politics of LGBT Ballot Initiatives
Friday, Oct. 31, 2 p.m. – Social Science Plaza A, Room 2112

Political science assistant professor Tony Smith will discuss the spate of same-sex marriage initiatives across the country over the last two presidential election cycles. According to Smith, citizens are less hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, although most politicians continue to have more conservative views. Smith will discuss the relationship between the major political parties and LGBT voters as well as Proposition 8, a California ballot measure that would amend the state constitution and bar same-sex couples from marrying. For more information, contact Casey Sakasegawa at 949-824-5261 or csakaseg@uci.edu.

John Zogby Discusses How Americans Voted
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 4 p.m. – Student Center, Emerald Bay Room

John Zogby, president and CEO of Zogby International, a public opinion polling and market research firm, will discuss “How Americans Voted in November and Why” as part of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellows Series. Zogby is known as the “hottest pollster” in the U.S., and his firm operates in more than 70 countries. For more information, contact the Center for the Study of Democracy at 949-824-2904.

To learn more about the election, visit UCI’s voter information page at www.advocacy.uci.edu/vote.shtml.