Citizenship complications, and family ties are preventing some Cabrillo College students from affecting issues they are passionate about with the most powerful tool citizens have: the vote. The fact that these students can’t, or won’t be voting, paired with a controversial 2018 census questioning citizenship, is likely to make the voices of California’s marginalized populations much harder to hear.

Omar Mendoza, 23, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, said, “I want to contribute to the country that saw me growing and becoming a better person.” He plans to get his BS in microbiology and mathematics.

Immigration is an issue that directly affects him — he has been a green-card holder for eight years and is working toward citizenship — but it isn’t the only thing that he finds important. Homelessness is a multifaceted issue that he would use his vote for positive change.

“Maybe they are on the street because they didn’t get the help they needed in education,” said Mendoza. “Maybe it’s because they didn’t get the support they needed from social work. Maybe they didn’t get the help they needed from rehab or medical care because they couldn’t afford it. Those social issues make me think — why is that group isolated? Directly, it doesn’t affect me, but I think as a society it affects us all in some way.”

Mendoza sees hypocrisy on both sides of the political spectrum, and is looking for a liberal group that he can see his values reflected in. He wants to be able to vote for someone who can show up as a leader, not as a boss. Mendoza works at the Cabrillo library as well as at Harbor High, helping students that were much like he was during his high school career, as a translator for English as a second language students.

Nao Kaizaki 19, originally from southern Japan, has been in America for two years on a student visa. She finds it impossible, and sees evidence of it being messy, for one person to be in charge of such a large and diverse country. Back in her home country they talk about America’s relationship with North Korea.

“Media in Japan describes (the leaders of America and North Korea) as not trying to find a goal that we can all agree with,” says Kaizaki “They are trying to compete for who’s on top.” She describes the fear that her family feels every time the missile siren blares. American military training the Japanese military for defensive maneuvers is a common sight.

Kaizaki has never been able to vote in her own country, because when she left the voting age was 20, but it was recently changed to 18. Her family has always voted, and she is looking forward to following her family’s example.

Gabriella Buchanan, 19 was born in the U.S. and moved from the North Bay to Santa Cruz four months ago. She isn’t sure if she is registered to vote. Even if she was, some say that her ethnicity alone is enough to put her vote in jeopardy. An Egyptian-African American, she grew up in a liberal family and said her Egyptian mother’s political views might have changed from what is more common in her Middle Eastern upbringing.

“When you’re in America and they’re against you it’s a little hard to be conservative,” said Buchanan. “My family is very interracial and mixed.” Her mother just moved to Mexico nearer to Buchanan’s sister, who is married to a Cuban man.

Defending their right to exist is something Buchanan grew up with as a given. But she has more than just family and ethnicity influencing her decision about whether or not she will be using her vote.

“I’m actually having trouble deciding,” said Buchanan. Her partner of a little over a year is a Jehovah’s Witness. Members of that religion don’t believe in voting, and though Buchanan is Christian she is influenced by the people who are important to her. Still, she is passionate about issues that affect the women and men of this country.

“When things happen to women they don’t speak up because they’re afraid of not being heard,” said Buchanan about abuse and sexual assault. “Or they’re embarrassed, or they are heard and that’s what they are labeled as from now on.” She finds that there are so many important issues that don’t get a platform, and is discouraged about the polarization of the issues that are up for discussion.

“There’s no in-between,” said Buchanan “It’s a good thing, or it’s a bad thing, there’s never a conversation about what’s in-between so people decide not to talk about it at all.”