As we move through our sociology courses this semester, I hope you are seeing how deeply entrenched patterns of economic and social inequality harm people’s life outcomes and their ability to flourish. These systems and social arrangements have real effects on marginalized groups, but they also affect people across the political, social, and economic spectrum. When one group is held down or cut off from resources and opportunities, fewer people from that group get the chance to make positive systemic change in the world, or to have their artistic, creative, or scientific contributions seen and recognized. Economic and institutional power is concentrated among the wealthiest groups, but political power is, in many ways, yours. I know voting in the midterms can seem boring and pointless, but there are some important decisions to be made this cycle. At a time when powerful actors are contesting many groups’ and individuals’ right to vote, or even to take part in civic life at all, it is more important than ever that you use your agency when others cannot.

2026 Midterm Election Infographics (Student-Created Voter Guide)

This guide was created by four San Diego High School CCAP students taking American Government (POLS C1000) at City College, as a project for Professor Breanna Prewitt. The project required that all information be factual, neutral, and non-persuasive, and every source was fact-checked by Professor Prewitt. The guide does not tell you how to vote. It is meant to help you understand the candidates and measures so you can make your own decision.

The guide, liked at the bottom of this post, covers the following, in this order:

• San Diego Congressional Districts 49–52 (pages 1–5)
• California State Senate and Assembly districts (pages 6–13)
• California State Executive offices, in ballot order (pages 14–22)
• California Supreme Court justice confirmations (pages 23–24)
• San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Districts 4 and 5 (pages 25–26)
• San Diego City Council districts (pages 27–30)
• San Diego Unified School District Board (pages 31–32)
• San Diego Community College District Board (pages 33–34)
• State propositions, with what a "yes" and a "no" vote each mean (pages 35–48)

If you use the guide, Professor Prewitt has asked to hear from people about which sections they used and what they found helpful, so her students know how their work was used. You can email her at bprewitt@sdccd.edu.

Find Your Polling Place

The California Secretary of State's polling place page lists every county's elections office, with a link to that county's polling place or vote center lookup. Select San Diego County (or the county where you are registered) to find where you can vote in person.

Find your polling place (CA Secretary of State)

Check Your Voter Status

Use California's My Voter Status site to confirm that you are registered, see the address you are registered at, and track the status of your ballot.

Check your voter status (CA Secretary of State)

Casting a Provisional Ballot

A provisional ballot is a regular ballot that is sealed in a special envelope before it goes into the ballot box. Election officials check your eligibility before it is counted. It allows you to vote when there is a question about your registration at the polling place, instead of being turned away.

You may need to cast a provisional ballot if:

• You believe you are registered, but your name is not on the list at the polling place.
• You received a vote-by-mail ballot but did not bring it with you, lost it, or never received it.
• You are a first-time voter and cannot show the identification required under federal law.
• You moved within your county and did not update your registration.

Your provisional ballot will be counted if officials confirm that you are registered in that county and have not already voted in this election. You can vote provisionally at any polling place in the county where you are registered, but only the contests you are eligible to vote in will be counted. You also have the right to find out from your county elections office whether your provisional ballot was counted, and if not, why.

Learn more about provisional voting (CA Secretary of State)

If you have questions about voting, you can also call the Secretary of State's Voter Hotline at (800) 345-VOTE.

2026 Election Infographics SDHS

San Diego, CA

Read more here

Poplar Grove Township, IL

This session highlights the sociological significance of space and place, how they shape social interaction, identity, status, and power. Presenters will engage with ethnographic and empirical approaches to spatial research. Topics may include urban change, place attachment, migration, spatial polarization, and more. The discussion will invite critical reflection on the evolving role of space and place in sociology, from methodological challenges to the necessity of interdisciplinary analysis.

Graduated with my master's degree in sociology, May 2025.

About the award: The Elizabeth and Edward Nelson Graduate Student Award is designed to honor a current graduate student enrolled in a California college or university graduate program (or one who graduated last school year). The student should be enrolled in (or have completed within the past year) a course of graduate study in sociology completing 20 graduate units of sociology with a GPA of at least 3.5 and has earned distinction in outstanding scholarship and/or outstanding service to the school, community, or the CSA.

Congratulations to my colleagues Niko Crumpton and Dulcinea Arroyo who have also been invited to present on their research-in-progress, and I hope more of my academic colleagues receive presentation invitations for this conference soon!