Open Process for Voter Education: Support IRV Education as promised (Opinion)

Esperanza Tervalo... Wed, 24 Feb at 3:23am
Open Process for Voter Education: Support IRV Education as promised (Opinion)

As you all know, the City of Oakland recently converted the Limited Public Financing Fund into a $225,000 for instant-runoff voting (IRV) education for Asian, African American and Latino voters.

We at Oakland Rising believe that IRV voter education is key to ensuring an authentic participatory democracy that includes low income voters of color.

Ignacio De la Fuente and Rebecca Kaplan developed a proposal that was pulled from the council agenda by the City attorney. However, the City Council has not agreed to put forth an equitable and transparent process for designating these funds. In fact, the intent was to name and fund 3 organizations from the Council bench during Tuesday's council meeting without a transparent vetting process.

This will not do.

Please reach out to your City Council representative and demand that a fair and transparent RFP process be used in Oakland to decide what organizations have the networks, experience, track-record and ability to ensure that voters of color are truly ready to vote in Oakland's first IRV election.

Thanks for helping to ensure that local governance are accountable to everyone in Oakland-
ETD

Dist 1- Jane Brunner
Phone: (510) 238-7001
Email: jbrunner@oaklandnet.com

Dist 2- Pat Kernighan
Ph: (510) 238-7002
Email: pkernigah@oaklandnet.com

Dist 3- Nancy Nadel
Phone: (510) 238-7003
Email: nnadel@oaklandnet.com

Dist 4- Jean Quan
Phone: (510) 238-7004
Email: jquan@oaklandnet.com

Dist 5- Ignacio DeLeFuente
Phone: (510) 238-7005
Email: idelafuente@oaklandnet.com

Dist 6- Desley Brooks
Phone: (510) 238-7006
Email: dbrooks@oaklandnet.com

Dist 7- Larry Reid
Phone: (510) 238-7007
Email: lreid@oaklandnet.com

At Large- Rebecca Kaplan
Phone: (510) 238-7008
Email: atlarge@oaklandnet.com

About Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont
Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont is the executive director of Oakland Rising, a formation of six community-based organizations that have come together to build a progressive city -wide electoral base that forwards and agenda which addresses the needs and issues of low income communities of color in Oakland. Organizations that make up Oakland Rising have decided to step-up and take leadership to build and put in place the capacity needed to realize and sustain a long-term progressive vision for Oakland. Our current work focuses on three major goals through which we are developing critical and key pieces of infrastructure necessary to build progressive power in Oakland: 1. Build a permanent political/electoral infrastructure; 2. Exercise and expand political influence; and 3. Align organizations and coordinate with other progressive forces.