(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Oakland, California, is setting up a system that will disseminate vouchers among the city’s adult residents that, in turn, will allow them to donate to candidates for local office.
The effort, known as Measure W, passed with nearly 74% of the vote.
According to the Daily Caller, each taxpayer over 18 years old will receive four $25 vouchers, which can be donated to mayoral, City Council or school board candidates.
The mandate will be paid for with city general funds and will allow non-citizens to donate to candidates, as well.
The city of Seattle, Washington, implemented a similar program in 2017. A follow-up study from the University of Washington showed an increase in candidates for local office and greater hurdles for incumbents to overcome.
Oakland Rising Executive Director Liz Suk argued that the program “increased participation in lesser areas” of the city and increased “voter turnout from communities of color.”
OAKLAND SAID YES ON W! We are proud to announce that preliminary results show overwhelming approval for Measure W!
Thank you to everyone who voted, volunteered, and supported Measure W. We are excited to see the change that this will bring to Oakland! pic.twitter.com/qybsFvdRhe
— Fair Elections Oakland (@fair_oakland) November 10, 2022
Oakland voters also approved a ballot measure to allow non-citizen public-school parents to vote for school-board directors.
The Oakland City Council had the measure put on the ballot.
Cities throughout California voted on several measures that may compromise future elections—such as Culver City, which featured in a measure to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in city and school board elections on its ballot
In addition to their unwise financial decisions, the state of California has opted to bail out the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, in order to “support and strengthen local reporting in underserved and historically underrepresented areas across the state.”
The influx of money was not up for vote by the taxpayers, despite their funds being used to bail out the crippled program.
“Democracy is in trouble,” Geeta Anand, dean of the program, wrote in a tweet. “We need to put journalism to work to protect it.”
