Imperial Beach Mayor and District 1 county supervisor candidate Paloma Aguirre hosted a skating event Tuesday afternoon, encouraging young voters to drop off their mail-in ballots.
The “Skate the Vote” event will be held at the Eucalyptus Skate Park in Chula Vista at 4 p.m. Tuesday, which is located near an official county ballot drop box. The location was chosen in order to embolden voters to drop their ballots off on the way to the event or after attending.
“There’s so much at stake for young people in this election — from the rising cost of living to the sewage crisis, to standing up to MAGA chaos like the ICE raid we just saw in South Park,” Aguirre said in a statement.
Supporting Aguirre and encouraging first-time and young voters to cast their ballots is San Diego professional skater and community activist Brandon Turner.
Turner made it big in the skateboarding scene at just 13 years old, and later founded Westside Recovery after struggling with substance abuse himself. Turner now shares his own recovery story and works with communities to destigmatize recovery and mental health.
Turner and attendees won’t be the only ones skating, though. Aguirre, who used to be a competitive bodyboarder and enjoys skateboarding and bodyboarding in her free time, will also be gearing up at the event.
“I’ve always loved skating and bodyboarding — it’s part of who I am and part of this community. At a time when so much coming from Washington is scary and disheartening, I wanted to give young people a fun, positive way to make their voices heard and take action,” Aguirre said in a statement.
Aguirre was elected Imperial Beach Mayor in 2022 and is now running for County Supervisor in the current special election for District 1. Aguirre is running against John McCann, the current mayor of Chula Vista.
Mail-in ballots were sent out to registered voters living in the county’s First Supervisorial District the week of June 2. Voters can either mail their ballots back using the United States Postal Service, drop their ballots off in an official ballot drop box or vote in person.
In-person voting started Saturday, June 21 and will continue through the end of the day Tuesday, July 1. Seven voting centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 13 centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
