Thank you to our Election Day volunteers and our outreach team for their daily work at the doors and over the phone to educate and mobilize voters to the ballot box. This spring, we held conversations with 1,120 new or unlikely voters in Oakland. As mail-in-ballots continue to be counted, day by day we are getting a much clearer picture of our impact on the Primary Election.
With one of the lowest turnouts, we knew how much of an impact each of our conversations would have to increase participation in the flatlands. We informed folks about their voting rights and what was at stake this election. As part of a statewide effort to build political power under the banner of We Are California, we surveyed voters to find out what issues matter to them most. We also talked about two important initiatives coming to the General Election (Tuesday, November 8th) that will empower voters and small businesses while generating millions for our city’s services, parks and recs, libraries, and more.
– Fair Elections Oakland initiative will give people a stronger voice in government and limit the influence of powerful special interests. City-financed vouchers are provided to voters which can then be given to their candidate(s) of choice – resulting in more engagement of smaller donors, higher voter turnout, and the election of more community-backed candidates who reflect our town’s priorities and values.
– Progressive Business Tax would get rid of the current regressive flat rate business tax in Oakland that makes both small businesses and big corporations pay the same business tax rate. Shifting to a new progressive modern business tax collection model with an equitable tax rate would help out small businesses by cutting their taxes and making larger corporations pay higher taxes based on their gross profits. It would bring an estimated $22 million back to our town that will go towards vital city services!
We can shift elections if all of us come together, with the goal in mind to take back our town and give people their power back to have a say in Oakland’s future.