In the final story of our 5-part series, we look at ways to support the next generation of civic leaders in Santa Barbara County.

In today’s episode of Polling the People, we hear from local college students about some voter outreach efforts taking place on two campuses in Santa Barbara County.

Some people vote in hopes of making their voices heard. Others are ineligible to vote, because of age, citizenship and other reasons. But there are ways non-voters can participate in the political process, from activism to protesting to community organizing.

The cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe have the highest percentage of Latino residents in Santa Barbara County. They also have the lowest voter turnout numbers in the county. KCBX's Gabriela Fernandez looks into the factors keeping many North County residents from engaging with the political process, and some possible solutions.

Santa Barbara County is sometimes called a “land of extremes.” That’s especially true of the divide between the majority-Latino agricultural communities of North County and the majority-white, highly educated areas of South County.