By Ivory Sihashath, 2026 CLA Intern
Even though the mock campaign was very eventful and demanded a lot of dedication, I feel as if I learned a lot about Measure G and local political governance.
I really appreciated my team. I really do. They were incredibly understanding and accommodating for everyone. Which I feel paid off when we actually won the mock election and gained knowledge!
At the actual event, it was wonderful to make meaningful connections, albeit difficult as I felt I had to network for my career alongside advocating my candidate.
What was powerful for me was those connections I made. Especially with the West Covina superintendent, where she gave me advice on my aspirations for running for office, and about campaign strategy. Another person was a Tempe City Council Member, it was great to see someone from back home who is representing the Asian American community.
An important lesson for me during these weeks was that you can’t win everyone over. That was present during my campaigning for the mock election and when we had our guest speakers teach us the nuances of trying to be efficient and gaining votes. Even if you don’t or can’t win someone over politically, that can motivate you to try to win 10 more votes or support over 1. The discussion we had with our guest speakers on 7/23 about campaigning and organizing really was a culmination of the group work we had done but also the campaigning in practice.
To expand on this, the campaigning we did was in no means equal to that of a real campaign, but a fragment of one. It really showed how constituents react to the marketing and strategies, even if they fail, it is still a lesson of what can work for the next constituent. I felt that constituents at the event taking the time to vote in the mock election is very much civic engagement, as they took the time to learn about Measure G and the County Executive Position.