Democrats at San José State held a letter-writing meeting on Wednesday to encourage Pennsylvania voters to vote in the upcoming Supreme Court election.
The letter-writing event targeted the state in mobilization efforts to motivate voters to take action in the Supreme Court election.
Pennsylvania has a divided government with the democratic party holding governorship and Republicans controlling the attorney general, secretary of state offices and the upper chamber of the state legislature, according to a BallotPedia webpage.
Spencer Hall, president of Democrats at SJSU, coordinated the meeting as part of the club’s effort to engage students in national issues.
“We decided to do this event for Pennsylvania because it’s a critical way that we can oppose the Trump administration,” Hall said. “…Because they want their own slate of Republican justices on the Supreme Court.”
Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices Christine Donohue, Kevin M. Dougherty and David N. Wecht all face retention elections in November, giving voters the decision to decide if they will remain on the bench, according to a Ballotpedia webpage.
The Supreme Court has been Democrat-controlled since 2015, according to the same Ballotpedia webpage.
“We want to encourage people to vote in an election they might’ve otherwise never voted,” Hall said.
The Supreme Court is one of top authorities for resolving cases that include the United States Constitution or federal laws, according to the Supreme Court webpage.
Miles Dillingham, president of Young Democrats at Sonoma State University, sees this moment as an opportunity for young voters to recognize their power.
“I hope that they see that they do have power and that it’s never the right decision to give up the fight. It will never be easy, it will be fun sometimes, but it will never be easy. The second you give up, you hand over your future to someone else,” Dillingham said.
Youth voter turnout in the 2024 election was 47% which is slightly lower in comparison to the 2020 election, according to a report on Tuft’s webpage.
Dillingham said that working with activists and political groups helped him gain insight into the American political system.
“It gives me hope that there’s a way to actually effect positive change,” Dillingham said. “…Through solidarity and young people and a real determination to pursue what’s right rather than what people want you to do.”
Early political engagement is a predictor of continued civic involvement in adulthood.
It has been shown that getting more college students to engage in politics now could lead to more active adult voters in the future, according to a study conducted by the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship on political participation among college students.
Jacob Francisco, a political science alumnus from UC Davis, participated in the letter-writing event to encourage voter turnout.
“I’m a strong believer that democracy is not a spectator sport, but a participatory sport and so democracy only works when you engage or participate,” Francisco said.
Results have shown that youth civic engagement programs foster a sense of belonging and empowerment according to a 2025 study from the psychology department at Universidad Loyola (Sevilla, Spain).
“I think doing this kind of letter writing is a way to extend myself and help others,” Francisco said, “I can make an impact in Pennsylvania (or) just anywhere in the United States.”
Angelo Velasco, a nursing student from another college, volunteered in local events and campaigns in the past.
“Most of the activism I’ve done in the past is at the state level or especially the local level,” Velasco said.
Velasco has worked with the Solano County Young Democrats where he has attended and participated in similar events.
The organization raises funds to support local democratic candidates and stands on taking action on important issues, according to the Solano County Democratic Central Committee webpage.
“You can’t vote on an idea that you don’t know the purpose or the standpoints and make people care about the election,” Velasco said.
With some elections garnering more attention than others, local government elections have shown to have a lower voter turnout, according to research conducted by The University of Chicago.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court election is scheduled for Nov. 4.
“We have real investment in our future, we care about climate change, we care about being able to own a home,” Dillingham said. “We are going to make better decisions than these old heads who are in congress – they have it made, they don’t care.”
