No Papers, No Problem: How Undocumented Students Can Still Rock the Vote

By: Jesse Chavez-Cordova

October 28th, 2025

SAN BERNARDINO, CA - It’s a chill Tuesday afternoon at the John M. Pfau Library where the first floor smells like burnt espresso and tired dreams. You find your favorite desk on the fifth floor by the window, where the sunlight is spilling over your notes, when you notice your classmate pop in and grabs the seat next to you. She’s that chill student who always speaks up in class and overthinks the group project, but in a good way. As you scroll on your computer an election headline pops up and you say to her, “This election is wild, have you voted yet?” She hesitates, her eyes staring at her computer and quietly replies, “If I could, I would…but I can’t, I’m undocumented.” Her words stop, and it becomes evident that a person who works, pays taxes, and follows societal rules is prevented from expressing herself by the same system that she supports.

Across the country, more than 408,000 undocumented students are attending either a community college or university in the U.S. according to the American Immigration Council. About 44,000 of them are studying right here in California. They are living, working, and studying next to us but we often don’t realize the invisible line that separate us. We all attended the same lectures, stress over the same finals, and

dream about the same hopeful future after we get our degrees, yet when it comes to elections, they get no say in policies that affect their lives. Across the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley, undocumented student’s are standing up and lifting their voices by finding ways to be heard and push for a better democracy.

If you ever walked past the Student Union during coyote hour, you’ve probably seen tables covered in flyers and clipboards asking folks if they are registered to vote. For some of our undocumented coyotes, that question can sting. Election season may feel like they are standing outside of a room where everyone gets to talk but them. But let’s be clear, civic power does not start or end at the ballot, there are many way folks who are ineligible to vote can still show up and share their story.

Let’s start local, both San Bernadino and Palm Desert hold city council meeting that are open to everyone in the public. Best part of it is that anyone can make a public comment. No ID, no voter card, sometimes even no paperwork is needed, just your voice. You can check the cities websites or email the city clerk to submit your public comment. According to the California Department of Justice, state laws must require local governments to hear public comments from all residents affected by any policies. That means your lived experience whether it’s about housing, community safety, or public infrastructure matter and those elected officials who represent you need to hear it.

But getting involved doesn’t always have to be political, organizations like Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC) and Lift to Rise in the Coachella Valley offer amazing chances to shape up your community like volunteer opportunities, advocacy training, and community workshops that anyone can be a part of. In both of our campuses the Undocumented Student Success Center host meaningful events, leadership sessions, and open discussion on civic engagement and immigration reform. These spaces remind students that their civic participation doesn’t depend on their status, it starts with caring enough to speak up to create change.

And keep in mind that activism doesn’t have to be too big for it to be meaningful. Anyone can make small impacts like sharing a city event on Instagram, linking a post of someone you’d like to see in office, helping friends register to vote or join a community clean up. What matters here is that you share your story and help others see the side of campus or your life that they haven’t thought about before. Every action will add up, and that ripple effect will change the way people think, vote, and lead.

So, the next time election season comes around, don’t ask your friends “Have you voted yet?” instead, stop and think, maybe not everyone has the opportunity to vote. Instead ask something that counts for everyone like “Have you spoken up in this election yet?” Have you shown up? “Have you shared your story?” Because democracy wasn’t build by just voters, it has been shaped by our voices, actions and our presence.

Here at CSUSB and everywhere else, change doesn’t start with a ballot, it starts with people who refuse to stay silent, even when the system that runs on their labor tries to shut them out.