With the election underway and Election Day just a week away, CNN political commentator Van Jones told Cal State Fullerton students that character is important in candidates as they cast their ballots in the 2024 election.

Jones responded to a student’s question about the character of candidates following his Oct. 24 speech at the inaugural Behind the Ballot civic engagement event presented by Associated Students Inc. and the Division of Student Affairs.

“I think character is important. I think the country has to make a choice, and whatever choice the country makes, we have to live with it.

Behind the Ballot is a civic engagement event that aims to inform and educate students through a question and answer dialogue with a political influencer.

The Yale-educated attorney, Emmy Award-winning producer and author of three New York Times bestsellers answered questions from student moderator Kayla Lam during the evening’s program, followed by questions from students in the audience.

Jones talked about his childhood, his work as a civil rights advocate and his professional success. He discussed topics such as civic engagement, the benefit of civil debate and the importance of voting.

Voters registered to vote in Orange County can vote in person beginning Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Titan Student Union Voting Center. The campus voting center is open every day until November 5.

Lessons behind the vote

Alexis Cuevas, graduate assistant in ASI’s student programming and engagement department, was among the students who attended the event.

Cuevas, who is pursuing a master’s degree in higher education, said Jones’ message about the importance of voting resonated with her because the outcome of local actions and locally elected candidates directly affects students.

“With this upcoming election, it is important to discuss civic engagement because of the divisions in our country,” said Cuevas, a first-generation college graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from CSUF in May. “Many people associate with one side or the other, so it is crucial to promote community involvement and get students to vote for the kind of future they want.”

When asked about college students’ indifference to voting and whether their votes counted, Jones shared a lesson about the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Jones emphasized that Bush won the election by a margin of just 537 votes.

‘I’m not going to lie. There is a very hard truth about voting. You can’t vote and get everything you want,” he said. “If you want to make a community successful, voting is one of the many things you have to do.”

Lam, a business administration major and coordinator of ASI programs and events, asked Jones what students can do if they feel overwhelmed and struggle to understand confusing ballot proposals and candidates for office.

Jones advised that students should “find a source you respect” for information, such as voter guides for political parties. Voting is not an exam, he added: “If you just don’t know, you can leave it blank.”

He also urged students to get involved in their communities as they are the ones who will benefit the most. He spoke about his work to get bills passed, as an advocate for the wrongfully imprisoned, and his activism for miners who lost their pensions and health.

“It’s impossible to volunteer, get involved and contribute and not get much more out of it,” he said. “You will never make the world perfect, but you will grow your heart, mind and network of people.

“To solve problems you need people who don’t look like you, who pray like you, and who love like you. You have to work with people who are completely different.”

From a national beginning

Jones talked about his childhood and humble beginnings in rural Tennessee. He said his parents, both educators, were born in the segregated South. His father joined the army to escape poverty and put himself through college.

After high school, Jones attended the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he studied communications and political science, then enrolled at Yale Law School in 1990.

“I’ve come a long way. My father started with nothing and gave me everything,” he said.

Jones said his mother always told him he could do anything. He encouraged students to put aside doubts and persevere to achieve their goals.

‘What I’m saying is no pressure, no diamonds. It is the struggle that will make you great. It is your ability to overcome that makes your story special.”