Democracy Done Right
What better way to start our Expert Night on Healthy Democracy than a reading of Dr. Seuss!
“Voting is something we do every day. It’s a way we can choose that gives us our own say. Voting gives each of us our very own choice. It allows a large group to make ONE single choice. Can you choose NOT to vote? Yes, but that’s a sure way to lose your own voice and to not have a say.”
Photo Credit: Tom Tomkinson
With moderator Alexandra Acker-Lyons, we welcomed Dale Ho from the ACLU, Ditas Katague of the California Complete Count for the Census, Rubi Salazar, a college student and Youth Commissioner, and John Pudner of Take Back our Republic for a discussion on what it would take to empower all people to participate in our democracy. This is what we learned.
The Census isn’t sexy, but…
Ditas was clear why we ought to care about the Census: power and money. The Census count determines the number of Congressional seats each state gets. An undercount in California in 2020 could mean we lose a seat to, say, North Carolina. “I don’t even like to lose a football game to North Carolina!” Ditas exclaimed.
But that’s not all. Every year on April 15th, we hear the “huge sucking sound of our tax dollars going to DC.” But only once every decade do we have the right to demand some of that money back in the form of federally funded programs, which rely on Census data to apportion funds. If we miss 1 million Californians in the Census, that could mean as much as $20 billion less in funding for our state over the next decade. That’s $20 billion less for our schools, our hospitals, our roads. This is a very real possibility: in 1990 we missed 900,000 Californians in the Census, and that was absent the climate of fear that our immigrant communities face today. As Rubi said, “If I felt there was ANY possibility that by filling out that form my family could be torn apart, I wouldn’t do it. Would you?”
A startling trajectory for voting rights
Dale shared the decades of progress made since the Voting Rights Act of 1965, became law. Over Republican and Democratic administrations, voting rights were gradually strengthened and upheld. But in 2011 and 2012, that all “changed on a dime.” In the run-up to the 2012 elections, 19 states passed 25 laws to make it harder to vote. “And they didn’t make it harder for everyone,” noted Dale. They made it harder for those who exploded on the scene in terms of voting, particularly youth and people of color. For example, early voting was cut back in Florida -- an option that 50% of that state’s African American voters used, versus 25% of its White voters. And 6 million Americans have lost their right to vote due to a felony conviction. In Florida, that means 25% of black men are unable to vote.
John noted that, nevertheless, more people voted in 2016 than in 2012, by absolute numbers and percent of eligible voters. But both agreed that equity is important in voting and that laws should not make it harder for certain populations to vote. For example, a government-issued student ID should not be denied as a form of voter ID when a concealed carry weapon permit is allowed, as is the case in Texas.
Photo Credit: Tom Tomkinson
Who’s picking whom?
When politicians in power get to draw the lines of their own districts, power becomes entrenched -- and politicians pick their voters rather than voters picking their elected officials. “Both parties have been guilty of this,” Dale emphasized. For example, in 2012 in Wisconsin, Republican candidates for state legislature got 47% of votes statewide but 60% of seats went to Republicans. In 2014, Republican candidates got 52% of votes and again, 60% of the seats. “It doesn’t matter how many votes they get! They always get 60% of the seats,” he said. And elected officials are reluctant to give up this power. But progress is being made through litigation and citizen initiatives to establish independent redistricting commissions, like California and Arizona have done.
Follow the Money
Candidates who are accountable to the voters rather than special interests -- that’s the vision that John holds for our political system. As someone who ran dozens of campaigns for Republican candidates, he has seen firsthand how dark money in “absurd chunks makes the ordinary citizen irrelevant.” He also observed that some states are “stifling” citizens’ ability to bring forward ballot referenda. “There should be a way for the grassroots to get something on the ballot, without costing money and without needing lawyers … a way to get around non-responsive politicians.”
Even more concerning to John than the amount of money is the lack of transparency around the source of funding. But there are solutions, for example, tax credits for small-donor contributions to campaigns (particularly popular in red states), ranked choice voting, and disclosure requirements.
The Future is Young
Rubi made the case for including youth voices in the decisions that impact them, like education, transportation, and employment. But too often these voices are marginalized. Commissions and boards meet at times and locations that make it hard for youth to participate. And antiquated systems like Robert's Rules of Order deter youth participation. John noted that some states bar high school students from gathering signatures on petitions or referenda.
But as a leader who completed an action civics program with the Youth Leadership Initiative and continued on to lead the Executive Committee of the San Mateo Youth Commission, Rubi knows that young voices matter and can make change. Ditas chimed in that “schools should be the guardians of our democracy.”
Photo Credit: Tom Tomkinson
Solutions Next
Our panelists left us with inspiration to achieve a vision where everyone is counted equally, voting is free and easy, our representatives look like the communities they represent, and they react to public opinion over special interests. How do we achieve that? The next step in our Healthy Democracy theme at Battery Powered is to meet our 12 finalists who are working on exactly those aims. Join us on October 18th to hear from these organizations and learn how we can support this vision for a healthier democracy. You can RSVP here.
******************
Battery Powered is the Battery's giving program. To join, click here https://www.thebatterysf.com/giving/join/ or contact Nicole Garzino at [email protected]