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With finals approaching and the student government elections just passed, students’ interest in the upcoming primary elections may be reserved for the gubernatorial race.

There is a perception among students, as well as among people statewide, that senate and congressional elections are not particularly relevant to their lives.

But voter apathy among students may contribute to politicians neglecting student issues.

Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of political science, said one reason students may want to vote in district elections is because most elected officials do not believe they will and do not take students’ opinions into account when supporting legislation.

“When (legislators) think about who they’re representing, they don’t necessarily think about students too much,” he said.

“They’re mostly thinking about making the parents happy rather than making the students happy. If students did turn out in greater numbers, state legislators would pay more attention to them.”

But Matthew Diaz, a second-year mathematics student, said he believes the initial lack of attention from politicians causes apathy.

“I do not vote because several of the policies don’t apply to me specifically,” Diaz said, adding that he did vote in the recent Undergraduate Students Association Council elections because he believes they impact his life as a student.

Voter statistics released by the California Secretary of State Department have shown that in addition to the low turnout of voters among the 18-30 age group, the entire state of California has low voter turnout, especially for midterm elections.

Statistics show that 60 days prior to the primary election this year, 68.8 percent of eligible voters were registered.

In 2002 at the same mark, 71.03 percent of eligible voters had registered.

The upcoming elections will determine the new officials in the California state Assembly, which is made up of 80 members who serve two-year terms and the state Senate is compromised of 40 members who serve four-year terms.

The state assembly member who currently represents state Assembly District 47, which includes UCLA, is Democrat Karen Bass.

She will be vying for re-election on June 6 against Republican candidate Jeffers MacArthur Dodge.

On her Web site, Bass states that supporting public education is her first priority, and that she will seek to improve public education and lessen the achievement gap for students in California public schools.

Bass specifically said that she will fight against vouchers, a measure her opponent has said he supports.

The site also says Bass will work to fix the state’s budget problems by closing corporate tax loopholes and reinstating the upper income tax bracket, as well as seeking other sources of income.

According to Dodge’s Web site, he will work with community leaders to achieve lower taxes, less government regulation, school choice and a safe, secure place to live.

Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, represents state Senate District 23, which includes UCLA. She is currently in the middle of her second term as a state senator.

Ruth Obel-Jorgensen, the organizing and communications director of University of California Students Association, said it is important for students to vote in the election so that their voices are heard by the legislators.

“We definitely are encouraging students to get involved in the electoral process because students turning out to vote puts student issues on the agenda of our legislators,” she said.

She added that this is the appropriate time for students to step up because of the ongoing debate over the affordability crisis.

If students become an active voting bloc candidates will be more likely to consider their needs.

“In some UC districts, the legislators may sit on the higher education committee or the budget committee, or they could urge other legislators who are on the committees. It’s very important that we have those representatives and we need to hold them accountable,” she said.