The US is founded on war and conquest, land theft and forced removal, ethnic cleansing and genocide, kidnapping and a complex system of generational slavery based on African ancestry. Those are facts. None of the conquerors stopped and thought, Hmmmm…maybe Indigenous folks, or enslaved workers, or women should have a say in these matters. Ridiculous! It’s a settler-colonial system, and the founding documents are crystal clear: power will be exercised by and for the few.
And yet the struggle for the right to vote is steady and ongoing. And we should all be aligned with that effort because the right to vote is a fundamental principle worth fighting for—pause for a moment and note that people here and all over the world have fought and died for that right. Universal suffrage is a righteous goal.
Everyone who can vote should vote, and whether you can or cannot vote, you should stand on the side of universal suffrage.
But don’t be confused: for me, while the right to vote is a principle, the act of voting is a tactic, and ought to be embedded in a strategy.
That means coming to terms with the fact that you’re going to vote for a flawed, imperfect, infuriating, often-wrong-but-never-in-doubt candidate. But, hey, you’re not getting married (oh, and if you don’t know by now, even there, perfection is a fantasy) so vote.
You can recognize that issues of central importance—issues like war and peace, the unrestrained nature of finance capitalism, ending mass incarceration, or Medicare for All—are not on the ballot, and still vote. That’s because voting is neither the beginning nor the end of our political work, our participation and responsibility—we still have 364 days to organize and agitate, participate in direct actions, mobilize masses of poor and working people, and create a powerful fire from below in order to get things done. Get up, go out, vote, and then go back to work.
Fundamental change comes when we walk on two legs: one, building the CONTINUE READING: VOTE NOW!!! | Bill Ayers
November 3, 2020 General Election
Sacramento Democratic Party Endorsements:
Endorsements as of September 10, 2020.
COUNTY OFFICES
County of Sacramento
Board of Supervisors, District 3 – Gregg Fishman
CITY OFFICES
City of Elk Grove
City Council, District 1 – Ali Moua
City Council, District 3 – Maureen Craft
City of Folsom
City Council – Jaya Badiga
City of Rancho Cordova (vote for 3)
City Council – Jack Zwald
City Council – Donald Terry*
City Council – Siri Pulipati
City of Sacramento
City Council, District 2 – Allen Warren*
City Council, District 8 – Mai Vang
SCHOOL DISTRICT OFFICES
Center Joint Unified School District
At-Large – Julia Bellehumeur
Elk Grove Unified School District
Area 1 – Regina Q. Banks
Area 3 – NO ENDORSEMENT
Area 6 – Nancy Chaires Espinoza*
Folsom Cordova Unified School District
Area 2 – NO ENDORSEMENT
Area 4 – Christopher Clark*
Los Rios Community College District
Area 3 – Chris Yatooma
Area 4 – Kelly Wilkerson
Area 5 – Pamela Haynes*
Area 7 – Tami Nelson*
Natomas Unified School District (vote for 2)
At-Large – Ericka Harden
At-Large – Mariana Corona Sabeniano
Robla Elementary School District
At-Large – Sharona Devine
Roseville Joint Union High School District
At-Large – Greg Harnage
Sacramento City Unified School District
Area 3 – Jose Navarro
Area 4 – Nailah Pope-Harden
Area 5 – Chinua Rhodes
Area 7 – Lavinia Grace Phillips
San Juan Unified School District (vote for 2)
At-Large – Pam Costa*
At-Large – Paula Villescaz*
SPECIAL DISTRICT OFFICES
American River Flood Control District
At-Large – Tamika L’Ecluse*
Cosumnes Community Services District
Area 4 – Orlando Fuentes*
North Highlands Recreation and Park District
At-Large – Beau Reynolds
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
Ward 1 – Brandon Rose*
Ward 2 – Nancy Bui-Thompson*
Ward 5 – Rob Kerth*
LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES
City of Sacramento
Measure A – Vote NO
Stop the power grab — this measure would disempower our neighborhoods by concentrating power in the mayor.
Measure B – Vote YES
Extends deadline for city’s independent redistricting commission to complete drawing of new district maps.
Measure C – Vote YES
Protects working families by preventing rent gouging and ensuring that families can stay in their homes.
River Delta Unified School District
Measure J – Vote YES
Authorizes up to $45.7 million in bonds for school facilities in the southern part of River Delta USD (generally includes Isleton and Rio Vista).
Measure K – Vote YES
Authorizes up to $14.6 million in bonds for school facilities in the northern part of River Delta USD (generally includes Clarksburg, Courtland, Hood, Locke, Walnut Grove).
City of Isleton
Measure L – Vote YES
Extends by 5 years existing 1⁄2-cent general sales tax that is set to expire in 2022.
City of Citrus Heights
Measure M – Vote YES
Enacts new 1-cent general sales tax permanently.
City of Rancho Cordova
Measure R – NEUTRAL
Enacts a new 1⁄2-cent general sales tax permanently.
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California Democratic Party Endorsements:
The following are California Democratic Party endorsements for federal and state offices in Sacramento County:
FEDERAL OFFICES
U.S. President/U.S. Vice President
U.S. Representative
District 3 – John Garamendi*
District 6 – Doris Matsui*
District 7 – Ami Bera*
District 9 – Jerry McNerney*
STATE OFFICES
State Senate
District 1 – Pamela Swartz
District 3 – Bill Dodd*
District 5 – Susan Talamantes Eggman
State Assembly
District 6 – Jackie Smith
District 7 – Kevin McCarty*
District 8 – Ken Cooley*
District 9 – Jim Cooper*
District 11 – Jim Frazier*
STATEWIDE BALLOT MEASURES
State Propositions
Proposition 14 – Vote YES
Invests in critical, life-saving stem cell research by approving continued funding for research.
Proposition 15 – Vote YES
Invests in our schools and communities by closing a special tax loophole for wealthy property owners.
Proposition 16 – Vote YES
Allows for more diversity in public education, employment, and contracting by repealing discriminatory law.
Proposition 17 – Vote YES
Restores the voting rights of Californians who made a mistake but have already paid back their debt to society.
Proposition 18 – Vote YES
Expands voting rights in primary elections to 17-year olds who will be able to vote in the general election.
Proposition 19 – Vote YES
Protects seniors and survivors of wildfires from facing increased property tax when needing to move to a new home.
Proposition 20 – Vote NO
Increases criminalization of our communities by irresponsibly prioritizing punishment over rehabilitation.
Proposition 21 – Vote YES
Keeps families in their homes by protecting them against eviction or rent gouging, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.
Proposition 22 – Vote NO
Allows billion-dollar app companies like Uber to get a special exemption in law to keep exploiting their workers.
Proposition 23 – Vote YES
Helps dialysis patients by combatting poor hygiene in clinics, improving staffing, and ending discrimination.
Proposition 24 – NEUTRAL
Adopts new privacy law relating to the use of privacy consumer data.
Proposition 25 – Vote YES
Approves law passed by our state legislature to reform bail system to ensure that no one sits in jail for inability to pay.