A podcast episode of Policy Chats featured three guest speakers from the University of California, Riverside, talking about the importance of the minority vote in the 2020 election.

Guest Sarah Hayes (former chair of the California Young Black Democrats) discussed the importance of Black voices and needs. She said, “What we have seen is a lot of ramped up attention surrounding Black politics, but also Black voting as well.”.

Another episode guest, Professor of political science Jennifer Merolla, discussed the importance of the female vote. According to her profile, Merolla’s research “focuses on how the political environment shapes individual attitudes and behavior across many domains.” She said, “It's really important to become involved, to vote, to show up, to engage in your communities to try to address some of those areas where women still have a great deal of progress to make.”

The third guest Mai Nguyen Do (political science graduate student) spoke about the importance of the youth vote and the role of technology and social media in the 2020 election. According to her profile, “[she] interned for various candidates and organizations, which led me to my position as Courage California's first political fellow and, later, first research and policy associate.”

One of the interviewers, public policy student Andrea Rayas, said, “Participating in the interview gave me an insightful perspective on voters from diverse populations. I hope this encourages minorities to go out and vote because their voice matters.”

Launched in 2020, the UCR School of Public Policy podcast series explores current public policy issues with guests from throughout the policy world. Episodes are accessible via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor and Youtube. More information is also available through the UCR School of Public Policy podcast page.